Margaret Boykin
Vice President, Development, Film & Television, Ubisoft
About Speaker
Margaret Boykin oversees the adaptation, development and production of Ubisoft’s award-winning games and original stories set in the world, culture and community of gaming for film and television. Boykin is a producer on all of Ubisoft Film & Television’s film and television projects, where she translates the vast and complex worlds of Ubisoft’s games into Hollywood entertainment by putting on the lens of a filmmaker and breaking down the brands to highlight the potential for film - a skill she honed working for Producer Elizabeth Cantillon, assisting with the development of big IP adaptations such as THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB and the reboot of CHARLIE’S ANGELS. Boykin successfully developed and produced the award-winning film, WEREWOLVES WITHIN, as Ubisoft Film & Television’s first-ever independent feature film in 2021. Lauded as a film that broke the mold for most video game adaptations by building on the spirit of the source IP rather than adhering to a by-the-book adaptation, WEREWOLVES WITHIN represents Ubisoft’s creative, dynamic and unexpected film and television strategy, shepherded by Boykin. The film is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and won Best Indie Film in the Hollywood Critics Association’s Midseason Awards. The film is directed by Josh Ruben (SCARE ME) and the ensemble cast includes Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, Cheyenne Jackson, Michael Chernus, Michaela Watkins, Sarah Burns, Harvey Guillen, Catherin Curtin and George Basil. Boykin oversaw post-production remotely during the COVID-19 lockdown, keeping the film on schedule. The film premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically on June 25th and on digital platforms on July 2nd via IFC Films. WEREWOLVES WITHIN, based on Ubisoft’s VR game of the same name, was a direct result of Ubisoft’s Women’s Film & Television Fellowship, which Boykin championed to found at Ubisoft after seeing a lack of diversity in writers’ lists submitted to the company. The goal of the fellowship is to create more opportunities for women, non-binary, trans, gender-nonconforming, and gender-variant people in the entertainment space. Now in its fourth year, the fellowship sees two participants within the entertainment industry explore Ubisoft's library and original stories over a paid, non-exclusive, six-month period for potential story ideas, engage in one-on-one mentorships and pitch their own takes. The fellowship has resulted in several script deals for films, including WEREWOLVES WITHIN, Heather Quinn’s Untitled Rom-Com, and Annbel Seymour’s REPLAY. During Margaret’s tenure, Ubisoft has successfully packaged and set up a slate of Ubisoft IP based projects including THE DIVISION with Rawson Marshall Thurber set to direct, Ellen Shanman attached to co-write and Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain attached to star, BEYOND GOOD & EVIL at Netflix with Rob Letterman attached to direct, JUST DANCE with Sony and Assassin’s Creed. Each of these projects seeks to re-write the book on video game adaptations by creating new, unexpected stories with new characters for film and television while adhering to the world and tone of the games. She is also overseeing an emerging roster of original projects set in the culture and community of gaming that includes the UNT. SENIOR E SPORTS PROJECT with Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein (I FEEL PRETTY) attached to write and direct and Mythic Quest.