10 Assassin’s Creed Stories We Want to See on TV

Netflix has announced that the much-awaited live-action adaptation of the Assassin’s Creed video game series will finally be moving forward. Developer Ubisoft first revealed the project back in 2020, but since then, it has gone through multiple false starts and a few changes to its creative direction. Now, the series has officially been given the green light and will move on to the next phase of development.

In a new announcement, Netflix revealed that the series would have two showrunners. Roberto Patino and David Wiener will lead the production and writing for the live-action series. Patino has worked on both Sons of Anarchy and Westworld, among others, while Wiener recently worked on the live-action adaptation of Halo for Paramount+ and has been involved in the sci-fi anthology series Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. He also served as showrunner for AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead before being replaced last year.

The showrunners had plenty to say about their excitement for the project.

“We’ve been fans of Assassin’s Creed since the original game came out in 2007,” the pair said. “Every day we spend working on this show, we are continually reminded of just how vast and deep the world of Assassin’s Creed is, and just how many stories live there. It’s a game that feels big and kinetic and mythic, but underneath it all, it is about something human and relatable—a search for identity and purpose, a test of faith and a struggle for belonging that spans across time.”

The two had also gone into detail about what they hoped to see in the show. “At the heart of this, to us, is a story about the value of connection,” the showrunners said. “Connection to others, connection to ourselves, and connection across time, across cultures. And a story, too, about what happens when we lose those connections. With a deep bench of talented folks at Ubisoft, as well as strong support from Netflix, we’re thrilled to get to work and create a show that we believe fans will love.”

Assassin’s Creed’s Adaptation Has Plenty of Material to Draw From

First released in 2007, Assassin’s Creed has now had 14 mainline entries over the last 18 years. The franchise initially struggled to find its feet with its unique mix of stealth and so-called “social stealth,” where players had to blend in with crowds and avoid detection. It wasn’t until players reached the Italian Renaissance that the series began to truly click for players. Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations all took players to Italy and are among the most beloved entries in the series to date, introducing the unforgettable Ezio Auditore.

The series has continued to evolve over the last two decades, with the gameplay now taking the form of a big-budget open-world RPG with a huge historical scope. The franchise has moved from Revolutionary America to the Age of Sail and the Caribbean, Victorian London to the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, and more. More recent entries like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Assassin’s Creed Origins have expanded further on the RPG elements of the series and taken players to Viking-age Britain and Ancient Greece, respectively.

The last game to come out was Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, a new entry for the series that takes players to feudal Japan. The setting has been one that fans have long wanted to see in the game, and early reports about the latest entry noted that the delay on its release date has allowed for additional polish and bug fixes. The game has received praise so far from both fans and critics for how polished it feels, and some are hoping to see the care shown to Shadows reflected in the show.

Details about the project itself are still in short supply. There are no confirmed cast members or production teams, and other than the basics of the premise that are long-familiar to the series’ fanbase, details have yet to be announced. While there will be a modern-day story about those who have their genetic memories of their ancestors in the past—both Assassins and Templars in a struggle for control and power that spans the ages—Netflix has yet to say anything about where and when the show might jump back to.

Things Weren’t Looking Good for Assassin’s Creed Until Now

This isn’t the first time Assassin’s Creed has been considered for a live-action adaptation. Assassin’s Creed was previously a feature film released back in 2016. Michael Fassbender starred in the movie, but it only turned a profit and didn’t generate much fanfare upon its release, often being cited as a prime example of how not to adapt a video game. Netflix has made no indication whether the show will be connected to or reference events in the movie.

Thankfully, the series has plenty of runway and should be able to find time for multiple storylines. Games are coming out as late as 2023, and the 2024 release of Shadows is the first for the series since 2019, meaning there are new entries for many years to come.

Still, Assassin’s Creed faces stiff competition in this entertainment climate. HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation has raised the stakes for big-budget video game adaptations, and while the historical scope of Assassin’s Creed is a major selling point in the same way as George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire was, both stories center around their protagonists’ philosophical differences and emotional stakes. Netflix has been on a bit of a roll with high-concept sci-fi and fantasy in recent years and might have the right team in place to give Assassin’s Creed the attention it needs to succeed.

As more adaptations of games and other properties are added to modern media, there’s never been a better time for Assassin’s Creed to have a crack at the jump to live-action. With new shows taking the spotlight, all signs point to this series having a shot.