Tom Hardy to Lead SPLINTER CELL Adaptation

Hardy moves from Bane to Sam Fisher.

Deadline is reporting that Tom Hardy (‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ ‘Lawless,’ ‘Warrior’) has signed on to star in ‘Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell,’ an adaptation of the hugely popular videogame franchise by France-based game publisher and developer Ubisoft.

An award-winning stealth action series, ‘Splinter Cell’ revolves around Sam Fisher (voiced by the awesome Michael Ironside), a highly-trained operative of “Third Echelon,” a fictional black-ops sub-division within the NSA. The game has spawned several sequels, most recently 2010’s ‘Tom Clancy’s Spinter Cell: Conviction.’ Ubisoft’s next installment, ‘Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist’ is set for release early next year.

The movie adaptation, which is currently without a director, will be penned by Eric Warren Singer (‘American Bullshit,’ ‘The International’).

Commenting on Hardy’s casting, Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet said, “Tom Hardy is currently one of the biggest talents in the film industry, and he has a phenomenal ability to take on complex and varied roles with his broad range of acting skills. His involvement in the ‘Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell’ movie is exciting news for movie and video game fans alike. Meanwhile, Eric Singer is one of the most talented writers of the moment, and … we’re confident he’ll bring a fresh approach and create a thrilling story … while still respecting all the codes and traditions of the franchise that are so important to fans.”