Netflix is turning the popular Assassin's Creed gaming franchise into a live-action series

Indian Express

5 days ago

A live-action TV series based on Ubisoft's best-selling gaming franchise Assassin's Creed is in the works at Netflix, the streaming giant confirmed in an official announcement.
The Netflix project isn't the TV adaptation of the commercially acclaimed video game franchise. The game was previously adapted into a 2016 movie starring Michael Fassbender, which achieved modest success. However, with Netflix attached to the project, the scale, production quality, and marketing muscle are expected to be higher – and so are the expectations.
The Assassin's Creed live-action series has been in development at Netflix for years, with the streamer originally planning to produce the series in 2020. The project has gone through several creative changes before finally being greenlit. Roberto Patino, a writer on FX's Sons of Anarchy and HBO's Westworld , has been tapped as showrunner, joining David Wiener, who previously led Paramount+'s Halo TV series as well as Fear the Walking Dead.
Netflix has not revealed any casting or plot details, but the series will follow a shadow war between the rival Templar and Assassin factions, fought across centuries and cultures. The series will focus on characters diving into genetic memory to experience the lives of ancestors who played pivotal roles in the conflict.
The first Assassin's Creed game was released in 2007 and was set in Israel during the Crusades. Since then, Ubisoft has turned the experimental title into one of the most highly acclaimed video game franchises. The series includes a massive number of entries, with 14 mainline games released over 18 years, along with several spin-offs, all of which are canonical and fit into a single timeline. Perhaps what makes the Assassin's Creed franchise truly work is how the events in each game interweave to form one cohesive narrative.
Earlier this year, Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed Shadows, an open-world game set in feudal Japan. The action game was praised by both critics and players alike, a positive sign for Ubisoft, which has struggled to produce consistent hits in recent years. The French company has recently expanded key franchises like Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry, bolstered by a $1.25 billion investment from Chinese publisher Tencent. Ubisoft has sold 230 million copies of Assassin's Creed franchise to date.
The Assassin's Creed live-action series comes at a time when popular video games are increasingly being adapted into films or television shows. Last week, Nintendo announced the lead cast for its upcoming Zelda live-action movie, based on its classic video game series. The movie is slated to hit screens in 2027.
The veteran Japanese gaming powerhouse is steadily expanding its presence in Hollywood, with a growing lineup of films slated for release in the coming years. Nintendo first found success with its movie strategy through The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023, which grossed $1.3 billion at the global box office. The company is now gearing up for a sequel to the hit animated film, scheduled for release in 2026.
Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at indianexpress.com who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin.
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