A new photograph has been released from the production of the hotly anticipated "Assassin's Creed" film featuring Michael Fassbender's back.

The image shows the actor facing a wall completely clothed in modern garb. An initial look at the image might not create much hype or anticipation, but closer study reveals some interesting tidbits.

The first thing of note is the sign on the right that reads "Progress requires sacrifice." This could be a message passed on to Fassbender's modern day character Callum Lynch from his ancestors, or it could be the motto of the oppressive Templar organization.

One might intuit the latter, when further investigation of the image reveals the scars and bruises on Fassbender's neck. This may imply that he is a captive of the Templars, or he could have recently seen some action and come away with bruises.

"Assassin's Creed" carries a rather large burden heading into theaters next winter. Not only does it have to fulfill the huge expectations of fans of the video game franchise, but it also has to do its best to elevate a genre from the depths of mediocrity and critical rejection.

For years, video game film adaptations have been relegated to the lowest level of Dante's cinematic inferno due to poor quality and execution across the board. Under most circumstances, "Assassin's Creed" would not be given much of a look and would be snubbed as another poorly conceived video game adaptation.

But, expectations are sky-high since the project features Fassbender, an Academy Award nominee; Marion Cotillard, an Oscar winner; and Justin Kurzel, the director of the highly-lauded "Macbeth" at the helm.

We are almost a year away from finding out if those expectations are well placed, or if it is time for the video game-to-movie genre to be buried for good. Fans will likely continue talking and speculating on all of this until the film finally hits theaters on Dec. 21, 2016.