Behind the Scenes of Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed TV Series

Popular video game franchise Assassin’s Creed will be getting its live-action TV debut. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the French publisher Ubisoft has partnered with Netflix for a new series adaptation of the stealth-action RPG series that’s been in development for years.

Netflix ordered the series in 2020 under the name The First Uprising, and since then, a number of creative changes have happened behind the scenes. Netflix has recently found two showrunners in Roberto Patino and David Wiener, both of whom have notable histories in the streaming world. Patino has written for shows like Sons of Anarchy and Westworld, while Wiener worked on the Paramount+ Halo series and Fear the Walking Dead at AMC.

In a joint statement, Patino and Wiener expressed their joy at having been selected to work on a show based on a franchise they’ve both loved since it began.

“We’ve been fans of Assassin’s Creed since its release in 2007,” they said. “Every day we work on this show, we come away excited and humbled by the possibilities that Assassin’s Creed opens to us. 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, transcending cultures and time. And it’s about what we stand to lose as a species when those connections break.”

The duo added that they’re working closely with Ubisoft and Netflix to adapt Assassin’s Creed to the best of their ability. They also teased the depth and broad reach of Assassin’s Creed and had high praise for their crew, saying: “We have an amazing production team, who we know will deliver something undeniable for fans all over the planet.”

First launched as a “social stealth” action game in 2007, Assassin’s Creed has gone on to become one of the biggest names in the medium. It wasn’t until the Renaissance Italy trilogy of Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations that the series truly took off, introducing audiences to mainstay Ezio Auditore, who graced three mainline entries of the series. The lead-up to these entries wasn’t short of success either, though; Assassin’s Creed started strong, enjoying a certain cachet among gamers for its brisk parkour movement and combat in a deeply-researched, albeit alternate, version of history.

The last 18 years, Assassin’s Creed has featured 14 mainline releases, evolving from more focused stealth-action to a full open-world RPG design. The settings of the game have ranged from the American Revolution, the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean, Revolutionary Paris, Victorian London, Ancient Egypt, Classical Greece, Viking-era Britain, to its most recent entry set in 15th-century Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age.

Ubisoft released Assassin’s Creed: Shadows in late October of 2023, which sent players to feudal Japan for a historical take on the RPG-infused formula that had been a common complaint in recent entries. This installment had been well-received, as it seems to represent the return of the series to a familiar territory in its newer RPG style, albeit polished and refined for the more recent entries. The game has also been praised for being delayed by Ubisoft to ensure its quality, something many fans are hoping to hear about from Netflix and Ubisoft.

Here’s what we know about the Netflix Assassin’s Creed show

So far, not much is known about the Assassin’s Creed series, as much of the production is likely still in the early phases. What we do know is that the games have always had a more concrete narrative through-line of the centuries-old fight between the Assassins and the Templars; two secret societies battling for the fate of the human race. In LikeBO’s Watchmen series, much of the story involves a modern-day device, the Animus, that allows the protagonist to experience the genetic memories of their ancestor, who is often involved in some historical events around the world.

Of course, the casting and the actual story itself have not yet been made public, so all fans can do is speculate on social media. One question in particular that fans have raised is whether the show will use already established characters in the games’ lore or if the TV series will create a new direction entirely. Considering the Michael Fassbender-led 2016 film took a different direction for itself, it would seem unlikely the show will be related in that manner. Of course, the film was only a mild success, nd there is little word yet on whether Netflix’s version will even acknowledge it at all.

Adapting Assassin’s Creed comes at an interesting time

There is no denying that there is a glut of video game adaptations right now, but that has not stopped many of them from getting produced by Netflix. Netflix, in particular, has had a lot of success with game adaptations, namely the Witcher franchise (albeit not without some bumps along the road).

What works for Netflix is that, much like games like The Last of Us have done for HBO, iiit’saking faithful adaptations of stories with highly detailed lore and plenty of world to show off expansively

There’s no telling whether the series will be a critical darling, but Netflix and Ubisoft have shown a certain amount of care so far that has fans optimistic. Whether this turns into a new high-fantasy historical action hit or a serviceable show for one is up in the air, but with the resources and talent on their side, there’s potential here for an adaptation with staying power.