Netflix is working with Ubisoft to produce a live-action TV series based on the Assassin’s Creed franchise. The announcement was made via a tweet featuring nothing more than the A-shaped Assassin logo design over Netflix’s red “N”:
Netflix will be developing an Assassin's Creed live-action series. @Ubisofts's Jason Altman and Danielle Kreinik will serve as Executive Producers
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) October 27, 2020
The Assassin’s Creed TV series comes after Netflix secured rights for a number of famous, gaming-adjacent IPs, including Resident Evil, Dragon’s Dogma, and even Splinter Cell. Netflix’s live-action adaptation of The Witcher, starring Justice League Superman actor Henry Cavill, was well-received, and the series has a second season on the way.
Ubisoft executives Jason Altman and Danielle Kreinik will have a role in the Assassin’s Creed TV series as Executive Producers. Altman is Head of Film and Television at Ubisoft, but also served to produce various installments of the Just Dance franchise, as well as the series Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, a comedy show airing via Apple TV+. Kreinik is Director of Television Development at Ubisoft, is also producing work based on Skull and Bones, a pirate-themed open-world game currently in development at Ubisoft Singapore.
Netflix deals aside, Assassin’s Creed is hardly a stranger to multimedia. Aside from the many games in the franchise, the eternal war between Templars and Assassins has proven to be fertile ground for novels, comics, and even other film projects. The CG animated series Assassin’s Creed: Lineage and the CG film Assassin’s Creed: Embers served as bookends to the saga of fan-favorite protagonist Ezio Auditore. And the franchise has resulted in a 2016 feature film starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, following modern-day human Callum Lynch and his ancestor, Spanish Assassin Aguilar.
The Netflix Assassin’s Creed TV series is currently in production with no release date specified. The latest game in the series, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, will release on November 10, 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X, and Google Stadia, with a PS5 version on the way. It’s getting a special manga collaboration with Viking series Vinland Saga.
