Will Ezio Make a Comeback in the Assassin’s Creed TV Series?

Netflix finally confirmed plans to produce a live-action Assassin’s Creed television series after a couple of years of purgatory. The science fiction franchise by Ubisoft has been announced for a live-action show several times over the past few years, but production has continuously been delayed.

Netflix has finally picked two veteran showrunners to lead production on Assassin’s Creed, with Roberto Patino and David Wiener each being revealed as executive producers on the show. Patino has worked on such series as Sons of Anarchy and Westworld, while Wiener previously worked as showrunner on the live-action Halo series for Paramount+ and worked on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead. Both have been announced to serve as showrunners for Assassin’s Creed, with a hint at both characters and sci-fi action elements in the adaptation.

“We are huge fans of Assassin’s Creed and have been since the first game came out in 2007,” both showrunners said in a statement. “We are constantly in awe of the magnitude of the world and the vast potential for the narrative. The thrill of the action and the mystery of the history is a thrilling vehicle for an incredibly human story about identity, purpose, faith, and what ties us to each other across the ages.”

The Assassin’s Creed series follows a mostly historical (for the most part) franchise about the conflict between Assassins and Templars, two opposing factions that have a centuries-long conflict over knowledge of the past. The conflict exists between multiple historical periods, with Assassins in the present using a device that allows them to relive the lives of their ancestors through genetic memory. The most famous series of games tends to take place in Italy during the Renaissance, starring Ezio Auditore in Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations.

In total, 14 mainline Assassin’s Creed titles have been released in the past 18 years, with historical eras including America during the Revolution, the Caribbean and Age of Sail, Victorian London, and Ancient Egypt. In more recent years, games have expanded the franchise from a more linear stealth-action into a massive open-world RPG with the story taking place in Ancient Greece, Viking-era Britain, and, most recently, feudal Japan in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.

Ubisoft originally announced the open-world game for a 2023 launch, but has since pushed the title back as it continues to be polished. Assassin’s Creed: Shadows seems to be a good jumping-on point for fans of the franchise, as it received generally positive reviews due in large part to Ubisoft’s decision to delay the release so they could get the game in better shape, which fans appreciate. The series has a strong history of player-pleasing delays.

As of right now, Netflix and Ubisoft have been mostly tight-lipped on the details of the television series. Although it will most likely follow a similar framework as the video game series (teaser trailer, then 10 seconds of Ancient Rome?) in terms of its concept, there has been little more released to the public in terms of specifics about the show itself. No cast has been revealed, with Netflix only confirming the showrunners at this point.

Fans are cautiously optimistic that Assassin’s Creed will be good, especially as the TV and film landscape is primed for video game adaptations, with recent shows like The Last of Us from HBO being such a success. Even though Assassin’s Creed has been a franchise for over a decade and a half, it’s nowhere near as star-studded as a Marvel film at this point, so it would not be surprising if Netflix is being particularly cagey with a lot of the details at this point. It’s also possible the showrunners want to take their time and make sure everything is right before really announcing much more about the series.

It’s also not clear how much Netflix will be able to draw upon the expansive lore and narrative of the Assassin’s Creed series, since the concept of Assassins, Templars, and the different eras is massive. The Netflix series will have to do the tightrope walk of expanding on elements, while not being able to include too many of the game’s protagonists. The franchise has had multiple Assassin protagonists, and a rotating roster of Templar enemies of the month to keep things interesting.

If anything, this has given long-time fans of Assassin’s Creed a nice dopamine hit to get through the day. With more projects in the hands of veteran genre creators like Patino and Wiener, Netflix’s science fiction and fantasy slate looks to be gaining some good momentum. Plus, having Netflix produce the live-action show is likely a smart move after the franchise’s underwhelming feature film adaptation, which starred Michael Fassbender and was released in theaters in 2016.

Assassin’s Creed is a franchise that’s always had a fanbase, but it seems like 2024 has the potential to be a major year for Ubisoft and their long-running historical sci-fi series. The property is definitely in a great spot as of right now, with a Netflix show being planned and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows receiving generally positive reviews, so things are trending in the right direction for the franchise.