Assassin’s Creed live-action remake greenlit at Netflix after five years

Netflix has ordered a live-action series adaptation of video game juggernaut Assassin’s Creed.

David Wiener

Neilson Barnard

The project is being helmed by Roberto Patino (DMZ, Westworld, Sons of Anarchy) and David Wiener (Halo, Homecoming, The Killing), who will jointly serve as creators, showrunners and executive producers.

The official greenlight comes almost five years after the adaptation of the gaming property was announced by Netflix, which at the time was hunting for a showrunner.

Launched by French game publisher Ubisoft in 2007, Assassin’s Creed has become one of the bestselling video games of all time, with more than 230 million units sold across its various instalments.

The franchise was previously adapted for the screen in the form of a 2016 Michael Fassbender-led feature film. The movie took around US$240m at the global box office on a production budget of US$125m, but received a generally negative reaction from critics.

In addition to Wiener and Patino, executive producers on Netflix’s adaptation include Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin and Austin Dill for Ubisoft Film & Television, and Matt O’Toole. The streamer has not said when it expects to release the show.

Other video games previously adapted by Netflix include Castlevania, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Arcane, as well as the upcoming Splinter Cell: Deathwatch.

“When we first announced our partnership with Ubisoft in 2020, we set out with an ambitious goal to bring the rich, expansive world of Assassin’s Creed to life in bold new ways,” said Netflix’s VP of scripted series Peter Friedlander.

“Now, after years of dedicated collaboration, it’s inspiring to see just how far that vision has come. Guided by the deft hands of Roberto Patino and David Wiener, the team has carefully crafted an epic adventure that both honours the legacy of the Assassin’s Creed franchise and invites longtime fans and newcomers alike to experience the thrill of the Brotherhood as never before.”