In a first for television, Channel 4 and Twentieth Century Fox have announced plans for a daring live broadcast of a stunt to be shown in TV ad break.
On Sunday 18 December, Hollywood stuntman Dave Grant will make the 100ft 'Leap of Faith' and free fall at a speed of over 50mph live on Channel 4 to promote the new Assassin's Creed cinema release on 1 January 2017.
The bold jump pays homage to the protagonist's 'Leap of Faith' jump in the film, where Michael Fassbender's character free falls from the top of high structures.
The ad break has been created to celebrate the film’s director Justin Kurzel's decision for real life stunts to be used in place of CGI wherever possible in the film.
Dave Grant, who was also a stuntman from the film, is one of only a handful of people capable of performing a free fall from this height.
The ambitious 100 second ad break will air at approximately 9.10pm during Channel 4’s critically acclaimed drama Humans, where viewers will also have an exclusive first look at footage from the film.
Michael Fassbender said: “The action sequences in the movie are shot in an old-school fashion, shot in geographical locations with real people, with very little CGI or special effects. In the movie Damien Walters performed a record breaking Leap of Faith from 120 feet unassisted by wires and ropes, which was amazing to see. I’m very excited that Dave Grant will be doing 100 foot Leap of Faith live on television next week.”
Angus Mitchell, Agency Principal, Channel 4 said: "We’re incredibly excited to be making TV history with Twentieth Century Fox by attempting something no other broadcaster has ever dared to. This innovative idea was developed through 4 Sales’ creative arm PL4Y and is the perfect way to celebrate and showcase the fantastic stunts in the film. It also marks a long and successful relationship with Twentieth Century Fox, delivering a truly unique and highly engaging experience for Channel 4 viewers.”
There will be 10 second teaser ads from Wednesday 14th December across Channel 4 and E4 to gain tension for the event using the straplines 'No harness. No CGI. No Going Back.'