‘There were no organics to him’

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is one of the best stealth action-adventure gaming series. Starting in 2002, this franchise has surfed in a total of eight installments so far, and all of them were blockbusters. However, the main reason for the series’ success was the main protagonist, Sam Fisher.

His dark and deep personality with stealth and action skills made this character everyone’s favorite. And this character was brought to life by famous Canadian actor and filmmaker, Michael Ironside. The surprising fact is that this actor almost rejected this role.

Michale Ironside Initially Turned Down Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell

Michael Ironside once appeared on the Inside Xbox show where he discussed his return in the role of Sam Fisher in the Ghost Recon Wildlands/Splinter Cell crossover, called Special Operation 1, which is free to play this weekend.

In this show, the veteran actor stated a shocking fact about how he initially turned down to voice Fisher:

Sam was this one-line, two-dimensional character. There [were] no organics to him.

Since 2002, Ironside has voiced Sam Fisher in every Splinter Cell title except the last one. In 2013’s Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Ironside was replaced by another popular Canadian actor, Eric Johnson, who also became the performance capture actor for Fisher in the game, alongside voicing him.

However, Ubisoft announced in 2021 that the company is working on a remake version of the first Splinter Cell game that was released back in 2002. That means Sam Fisher is likely to make a comeback through Ironside’s voice once again.

What Made Ironside Change His Decision?

Ironside then went on to explain how he reworked the character with the developer team of the franchise, Ubisoft Montreal. The actor mainly felt a huge lack of a solid background and dimension in the character. Not much was known about Fisher when Ubisoft first pitched the character to Ironside. He stated:

We created a backstory. We created a family [for him], and where he goes, and what he does, and who he trusts.

There is a specific incident that shaped up Fisher’s character development significantly. Ironside references a real-life encounter with a Ukrainian mercenary at a wedding in the early 1970s, which gave a proper base to the main protagonist of the franchise.

The show came to an end with a cryptic statement from the actor: “Let’s see if the storylines allow an organic [way to bring] Sam back.” That means there are high chances that Ubisoft might be working on a new Splinter Cell title besides the already-announced remake.

What’s your opinion on Ironside turning down Fisher’s role initially? Let us know your thoughts on this in the comment section.