Netflix is making a live-action Assassin's Creed TV show, it's been announced. The series doesn't have a showrunner yet – but Netflix has released a short trailer to mark the event, which you can watch below.
It's not just a TV series that's in the works, either. Deadline reports that animated shows are in development, too, and that this is part of a wider content deal with publisher Ubisoft to build a universe of Assassin's Creed-themed content. Netflix has previously announced collaborations with Ubisoft on movies based on The Division and Beyond Good & Evil.
Check out the Assassin's Creed TV teaser here – which gives basically nothing away:
Netflix + Assassin's Creed pic.twitter.com/yI2sItnMgiOctober 27, 2020
The show is executive produced by Ubisoft's Jason Altman and Danielle Kreinik. "We’re excited to partner with Ubisoft and bring to life the rich, multilayered storytelling that Assassin’s Creed is beloved for,” said Netflix's Peter Friedlander.
Presumably by 'rich, multilayered storytelling', Friedlander is alluding to the end of Assassin's Creed 2, where your character has a fist fight with the pope (it's okay – he was a bad pope).
A poorly-reviewed Assassin's Creed movie was released in 2016, but it wasn't directly inspired by any of the games. Hopefully this is the chance for Ubisoft to rectify that. Nothing particularly interesting or specific has been said about the show – Netflix says it's "committed to carefully crafting epic and thrilling entertainment based on this distinct IP".
No release date is set for the show.
Which Assassin's Creed game should Netflix adapt?
There's loads of potential for great storytelling, here – Assassin's Creed has multiple eras to draw from. Assassin's Creed 2's portrayal of Renaissance Italy comes to mind, as do the pirate adventures of Assassin's Creed 4. Some games in the series feature better protagonists than others – Netflix could even go as far as setting each season in a different timeframe, giving it an anthology format.
We'll just have to wait and see. But Ubisoft's involvement in the series isn't necessarily getting us excited – it's all about who they hire to actually make this thing, from writers to directors to cast.
The next Assassin's Creed game, Valhalla, is set for release on November 10.
