Netflix has finally green-lit its long-in-development Assassin’s Creed live-action series with Netflix, confirming Emmy nominees Roberto Patino (Westworld) and David Wiener (Halo) are locked in as creators, showrunners, and executive producers.
Based on the first description of the upcoming series, it’ll focus on the war between Abstergo Entertainment (The Templars) and The Assassins, who fight on opposite sides of the war for humanity’s freedom: ‘The Assassin’s Creed live-action series is a high-octane thriller centred on the secret war between two shadowy factions: one set on determining mankind’s future through control and manipulation, the other fighting to preserve free will. The series follows characters across pivotal historical events as they battle to shape humanity’s destiny.’
The series is set to be a co-development project between Ubisoft and Netflix, with Patino and Wiener joined by Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin, and Austin Dill (under the Ubisoft Film & Television banner), as well as Matt O’Toole.
Notably, Ubisoft and Netflix announced their partnership to adapt Assassin’s Creed way back in 2020, and this is the first big update from the project.
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What to expect from Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed
‘When we first announced our partnership with Ubisoft in 2020, we set out with an ambitious goal to bring the rich, expansive world of Assassin’s Creed to life in bold new ways,’ Peter Friedlander, Netflix’s Vice President, Scripted Series said.
‘Now, after years of dedicated collaboration, it’s inspiring to see just how far that vision has come. Guided by the deft hands of Roberto Patino and David Wiener, the team has carefully crafted an epic adventure that both honours the legacy of the Assassin’s Creed franchise and invites longtime fans and newcomers alike to experience the thrill of the Brotherhood as never before.’
Those are big words for the upcoming series, but the confidence should at least provide some hope for fans keen to see a new Assassin’s Creed adaptation, and one that perhaps learns some lessons from the past.
It’s also worth noting Patino and Wiener are self-described fans of the franchise, and have been since its first release in 2007. ‘Every day we work on this show, we come away excited and humbled by the possibilities that Assassin’s Creed opens to us,’ the pair said in a joint statement.
‘Beneath the scope, the spectacle, the parkour and the thrills is a baseline for the most essential kind of human story – about people searching for purpose, struggling with questions of identity and destiny and faith. It is about power and violence and sex and greed and vengeance. But more than anything, this is a show about the value of human connection, across cultures, across time. And it’s about what we stand to lose as a species, when those connections break.’
That perspective on Assassin’s Creed is certainly refreshing, and speaks to the deeper themes of the franchise that often go overlooked against a backdrop of sword fights and spectacle. We’ll just have to wait to see whether this perspective will shine through in a series that elevates the legacy of the games. While precedent gives cause for concern, it does appear Netflix and Ubisoft have great confidence in this new adaptation, and in the ‘deft hands’ of Patino and Wiener.
Stay tuned for more on this upcoming project as it continues in development.
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