If you've been hoping for an Assassin's Creed movie that actually gets the source material right, Matt Ryan might have just pitched the best version of it himself.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced drops on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on July 9, and ahead of that launch, Ryan opened up about reprising the role of Edward Kenway after more than a decade away. When the topic of live-action came up, his answer was about as enthusiastic as you'd expect from someone who clearly loves the character.
Kenway back at the helm
From voice booth to film set
"I would love to do a live-action version," Ryan said. "That would have to fit the medium, whichever medium that was in, whatever is best for the story. Yeah, man, I would love to do a live-action version of playing Kenway."
He's not naive about how these things work, though. "All those things are out of your hands as an actor, so you kind of give it over to the gods, see what happens."
That candid honesty is part of what makes the quote land. Ryan isn't lobbying for a job or making a calculated PR move. He's a guy who's spent real time with this character, now returning to him in a substantially expanded form, and the affection for Kenway comes through clearly.
Why Kenway's arc actually works as a movie pitch
Ryan didn't stop at expressing interest. He laid out a genuine argument for why Kenway's story fits the film format.
"I also think that it would make a really good Assassin's Creed movie," he said. "One thing I love about the narrative of the character is he starts off as a pirate, and he starts as a rogue and a peasant and a scoundrel and someone who's trying to better his life, but he does have that good heart in him. The journey that he goes on, he finds his moral compass."
The key here is that Kenway's story is fundamentally a character arc, not just a string of action setpieces. He enters the world of assassins as an outsider chasing money and reputation, and leaves it as something closer to a true believer. That's the kind of transformation that plays well on screen, and it's a sharper hook than the 2016 Assassin's Creed film managed with its present-day framing device.
Ryan caught himself mid-pitch: "In terms of you being introduced into the world of assassins through pirates, that seems like a really good platform for me. I probably shouldn't be talking about this (laughs)."
New missions, new performance
What Resynced adds to the original Black Flag
Ryan's return to the role comes with real substance behind it. Black Flag Resynced isn't a straight port of the 2013 original, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. The project includes entirely new scenes and missions, all motion-captured, meaning Ryan has had to rediscover and rebuild Kenway from the ground up rather than just re-record old lines.
That context matters for the live-action conversation. Ryan isn't speculating about a character he voiced once and moved on from. He's been actively living inside Kenway's headspace again, which gives his enthusiasm for a potential film adaptation a bit more weight.
For everything that's changed in the remake, the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced guides have the full breakdown of new features, new officers, and updated combat systems ahead of the July 9 launch. Whether Ryan ever gets his live-action shot at Kenway or not, the character is about to reach a whole new generation of players first.
