As with many other video game franchises, Netflix is going all-in with Assassin’s Creed with multiple projects currently in development for Netflix. Here’s everything we know so far about Assassin’s Creed on Netflix and keep it bookmarked as we’ll be keeping this big preview updated over time.
Spanning 11 games, countless books, and even a Hollywood blockbuster, Assassin’s Creed has been at the forefront of pop culture for well over a decade.
It was back in October 2020 when Netflix officially announced that they’d be teaming up with Ubisoft (the video game publisher behind the series) for new projects within the IP.
Netflix + Assassin’s Creed pic.twitter.com/0J5CbmlXKb
— Netflix Portugal (@NetflixPT) October 28, 2020
Although the announcement didn’t contain too much detail, we can look into what we do know so far about Netflix’s efforts thus far.
Netflix has been making big moves in video game IP over the last few years with an expansive upcoming lineup. They’ve also teamed up with Ubisoft before too with the upcoming Netflix adaptation of Beyond Good & Evil, Splinter Cell and The Division also.
So, with all that said, let’s dig into what we know so far.
Multiple Assassin’s Creeds projects are in development
We’re expecting Assassin’s Creed to get a similar treatment on Netflix akin to The Witcher. That show has the main series, a spin-off, and an animated series in the works too. That kind of treatment was promised in the original announcement with it saying “adaptations of live-action, animated, and anime series” are in the works.
In the original announcement, however, they said they had yet to get a showrunner on board. That may have changed because in April 2021 an interview said that the team had “secured a couple of talents” for the series but were keen to stress that they are taking their time on the project.
The live-action series that will spearhead Assassin’s Creed on Netflix is what’s coming first with the animated project taking a backseat to allow the studio behind it (more on them in a second) to focus on their active projects.
Who is attached to the Netflix Assassin’s Creed projects?
The two names we do have attached to the various Assassin’s Creed projects thus far are executive producers Jason Altman and Danielle Kreinik.
Jason Altman serves as SVP, Head of Film and Television at Ubisoft but has mostly been in the video game world for most of his career. He took on his new role in TV in January 2017. He’s served as producer on Mythic Quest and the upcoming Werewolves Within.
Danielle Kreinik has had a long career in entertainment having worked at Thunderbird Entertainment who developed Some Assembly Required for Netflix and Endgame for Hulu. Since July 2017, she’s worked for Ubisoft as Head of Television Development and worked on Mythic Quest for Apple TV+.
Who is behind the animated Assassin’s Creed series
Although reportedly on the backburner, for now, we do know the studio behind the animated series. They are the internal studio at Ubisoft who worked on Raving Rabbids and are currently hard at work on a Far Cry animated series which was announced in October 2019 and believed to be called Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Vibe.
In the aforementioned Eurogamer interview they said:
“Those guys [the animated team] are really focusing on that [the other projects]. It’s not the next project which is coming up in their pipeline but it’s still in their hands. It hasn’t been canned.”
We don’t know how long the Far Cry animated series has been in active development nor do we know when it’s set to release meaning that it’s almost impossible to know when the focus will shift onto Assassin’s Creed.
How Lessons Were Learned From The Michael Fassbender Movie
Assassin’s Creed – Picture: 20th Century Fox
As we’ve mentioned, this isn’t the first time someone has tried bringing the Assassin’s Creed franchise to the big screen and according to those working on the Netflix projects, big lessons from the 2016 movie directed by Justin Kurzel distributed by 20th Century Fox have been learned.
In a wide-ranging interview with Eurogamer in April 2021 (summarized excellently by The Codex), they revealed some key insights from the movie and what they learned with publishing content manager Etienne Bouvier and transmedia director Aymar Azaïzia.
On the movie Azaïzia said:
“We learnt a lot from the movie and have a really strong team behind it, and I’m super hopeful and super happy for the format. I think the TV series format works better to craft an Assassin’s Creed story.”
Adding:
“.. you have to pack so many things for newcomers in a movie – you have to deal with multiple timelines, Assassins, Templars, Isu… you have to come up with something cleaner, or you can have a TV show where you can pace it in a different fashion and take your time.”
We’ll be keeping you up-to-date with all the Assassin’s Creed projects as and when we learn about them but we’d also suggest you go and follow The Codex Network on Twitter and their website who are dedicated to all things Assassins’ Creed.
Let us know if you’re excited for Assassin’s Creed on Netflix in the comments.