Assassin’s Creed on Netflix: Hype or Risk?

Long in development hell, Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed series is finally moving ahead in earnest. The streaming service has committed to a live-action version of the Ubisoft video game franchise, first announced in 2020.

Creative and executive power will be handed over to Roberto Patino and David Wiener, two new showrunners at Netflix who’ve already been on board with the development process for some time. Patino has been involved in many notable projects in the past, including Sons of Anarchy and Westworld, while Wiener recently worked as the head writer for the live-action adaptation of Halo for Paramount+ as well as the episode director for AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead. In a joint statement, the showrunners have also confirmed that they’re big fans of the Assassin’s Creed games and can’t wait to start creating a show that matches the expansive world and large-scale story the series has come to be known for.

“We’ve been fans of Assassin’s Creed since the first game came out in 2007,” the pair said. “Every day we work on this show, we’re reminded of just how massive the world is, and just how rich the storytelling is. Underneath the big set pieces, epic historical drama, and over-the-top action is a deeply human story about identity, purpose, and faith; about what we fight for and what ties us together across time.”

Assassin’s Creed Series Will Aim for Large-Scale Storytelling and Spectacle

Patino and Wiener’s statement continues by elaborating on the more human story within Assassin’s Creed that the series will attempt to reach.

“We know this is a show about the value of connection—to each other, across time and cultures—and the peril of losing those connections,” they say. “With a talented team from Ubisoft and great support from Netflix, we’re looking forward to telling a story that will speak to people all over the world.”

Assassin’s Creed has been an active video game franchise for 18 years and 14 titles, with a 15th coming in the next year. The series launched with a decidedly stealthy take on action-adventure games and a unique “social stealth” approach to combat, mechanics, and character movement, all tied into a gameplay loop that pitted an order of secret fraternal assassins against the Templars, a religious order of fanatical soldiers who would become rival factions and have been at odds for generations.

Set over two parallel timelines in the distant past and the present, the story of Assassin’s Creed unfolded slowly over the first few entries before really ramping up in scale. The first modern-day chapter was Assassin’s Creed II, and the first game set in the Renaissance in Italy.

The Italian Renaissance entries were a massive success for the series and produced two more direct follow-ups and sequels: Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Brotherhood and Revelations would continue to chronicle the adventures of Ezio Auditore in Italy and push the games into modern times in terms of design, looking less like historical reimaginings and more like historically based open-world RPGs.

The two newest games, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, cover Viking-era Britain and feudal Japan, respectively. The former was a big hit while the latter drew praise for Ubisoft’s decision to delay its launch, giving more time to refine and iterate on the experience before it hit shelves.

Netflix is expected to focus on the core premise of modern-day characters reliving the experiences of their genetic ancestors as they are caught between the conflict of Assassins and Templars, but has yet to reveal more concrete details about which entry, character, or period it will adapt or what a modern-day spin might look like.

Cautious Optimism in the Air for the Live-Action Show

Assassin’s Creed has had one big screen outing before, a 2016 film starring Michael Fassbender and directed by Justin Kurzel, though it did not perform especially well despite making money at the box office. The question of whether the Netflix series is related in any capacity to that story is up in the air, but the series likely represents a completely separate effort.

HBO’s recent and acclaimed adaptation of The Last of Us series has shown that there is a clear place for well-produced video game adaptations in modern media if they’re handled the right way. Netflix has already leaned in hard on action-packed and fantastical series with a heavy genre influence in recent years, so the Assassin’s Creed series might find a natural home with the platform and its viewers.

The two showrunners have stated a clear intent to respect and deliver the large-scale vision and storytelling of the Assassin’s Creed series in live-action, and many fans are hopeful that they will be able to do the same for its core philosophies and narrative themes. All signs right now are pointing in that direction.