Assassin's Creed, based on the world-famous video game franchise, leads a crop of three Malta-filmed productions debuting this Christmas season. 

Justin Kurzel's Assassin's Creed adaptation stars Michael Fassbender and will feature Valletta buildings including St Dominic's Basilica, Fort Ricasoli and Fort Manoel among others. 

Most of the film's action took place on set pieces built by local craftsmen, and producer Patrick Crowley was pleased with the way things panned out. 

“We went to Malta for four weeks of filming and built some very big sets there,” he said. “We used existing fortresses—Malta has more fortresses than any place I’ve ever been in—and some of their downtown areas, which are period authentic for what it is that we were interested in. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site, so you get some fantastic production value.”

The Malta Film Commission is hoping to capitalise on interest in the film by creating a specialised holiday tour based on Assassin’s Creed for film buffs and fans of the franchise.

Aside from the big-budget blockbuster, a Christmas special of Netflix drama series Sense8 and an episode of Freemantle Media's sitcom Birds of a Feather - both filmed in Malta - are also set for release over the coming days.