We’re just about two weeks away from the release of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the latest chapter in Ubisoft’s long-running time-hopping sci-fi action-adventure video game franchise. The series follows a secret order of assassins opposing the power-hungry machinations of the Knights Templars throughout history, with these events being experienced by descendants of the assassins in the near-future tapping into the genetic memories of their ancestors locked inside their DNA. After dipping slightly for a few years in terms of critical and commercial success, the Assassin’s Creed games have seen a resurgence of late thanks to the franchise returning to its roots – literally. And now as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is creating hype as it brings the franchise to next-gen gaming platforms, it would appear that Netflix wants to get in on some of that action.
In a set of tweets posted just minutes ago, the streaming service has revealed that is currently developing a live-action TV series based on the Assassin’s Creed games. Ubisoft’s very own Jason Altman and Danielle Kreinik will be executive producers on the show.
Aaaaaaand that’s all we know about this development right now. Just like the many protagonists in the games hiding out in crowds before they pounce, this news has come out of nowhere. This isn’t Netflix’s first foray into the high-profile video game adaptation arena though, having recently produced a live-action series based on The Witcher starring Henry Cavill. That show was MASSIVELY successful for the streamer and has already spawned prequels and animated spinoffs on top of the highly-anticipated second season.
We unfortunately can’t say the same thing about the previous live-action adaptation of Assassin’s Creed though. Despite a killer cast led by Michael Fassbender and a super-talented filmmaker in Justin Kurzel, 2016’s Assassin’s Creed feature film was a critical and commercial flop. The movie was gorgeous to look at and action choreography was great – especially its dedication to the games’ signature parkour action – but everything else was a mess.
The movie didn’t adapt the events of the games – which to that point had focused on only a handful of characters such as Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad during the Third Crusade and Ezio Auditore da Firenze during the Italian Renaissance in the 16th century – but rather told the story of a different unrelated assassin. Though there were a few anomalies, the movie was designed to slot into the overall timeline of the games and exist alongside them, but who knows if Netflix will do the same here.
Given how poorly received the movie was, the streamer will probably do what they did with The Witcher and combine a handful of key story points to create something new. I’m definitely down with that.
UPDATE: In a follow-up Ubisoft blog post, the video game publisher has also revealed that the deal signed with Netflix “includes multiple different series, the first of which will be a genre-bending live-action epic, while the others will be animated and anime adaptations”. So yep, definitely following the Witcher model of success here.
Last Updated: October 27, 2020
Original Heretic
October 27, 2020 at 16:15
Still a huge risk, this.
Witcher was based in the books, not the games.
This only has the games as source material.
MaSeKind
October 27, 2020 at 16:42
True, just depends on what they use for the series. They’ve got about 2000 years of content to choose from. I suspect they might go with Ezio’s story, as that was the most popular.
EDIT: It might be awesome if they could make each season take place in a different time period. Have a set story with their own characters each season. And just have the Templar/Assassin war as the backstory throughout each season.
Kervyn Cloete
October 27, 2020 at 16:50
That’s a great idea, but it would drive up the budget massively. And big budget versus viewer numbers is precisely why we’ve been seeing so many Netflix cancellations as of late.
MaSeKind
October 27, 2020 at 16:54
That’s partly why I think they should do each season as a standalone thing almost. So you’ve got no major storylines or anything left at the end and if they want to cancel after a season, you’re not left with a cliffhanger that will never be resolved
CodeDisQus
October 27, 2020 at 17:23
I reckon that this could be Netflix’s chance at their next Stranger Things. The IP has a HUGE following, the premise is actually bloody amazing, with TONS of story potential (It’s a pity that Ubisoft bottled that) and they have a good base to start from. Unfortunately Netflix is a mixed bag, for every Stranger Things/Dark, there is a Locke & Key/Cursed and also that annoying random cancellation, but they do have buckets of money, so lets see what happens.
MaSeKind
October 27, 2020 at 17:24
Yeah but even Stranger Things have kinda lost it’s appeal. I enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd seasons but it didn’t have the same awesome factor that the first one had.
I_am_Duffman!
October 27, 2020 at 23:48
I love stranger things, but the 2 year wait between seasons is too much. It is difficult to stay hyped with so little content
DarthofZA
October 27, 2020 at 17:23
The 10 AC books disagree with you…
MaSeKind
October 27, 2020 at 17:24
Wanted to mention that, but I think he means more the original source is the games and the books are based on that, not the other way around. Not that it probably makes a big difference. It’s all canon in the AssCreed universe I assume
Original Heretic
October 27, 2020 at 18:06
You mean the books based on the games?
The games came first, so everything after is always going to trace back to them.
Insomnia is fun
October 28, 2020 at 08:03
Staring Adam Sandler, now that’s a risk
MaSeKind
October 27, 2020 at 16:37
Never saw the movie. No amount of Fassbenders will make me watch that. I’ll wait and see how this goes.
For the Emperor!
October 27, 2020 at 16:42
I liked the movie, so looking forward to this as well.
Insomnia is fun
October 28, 2020 at 08:03
Movie was okay for what it was.
Iskape
October 28, 2020 at 09:39
While the movie was watchable, I don’t think it did the franchise any justice. Maybe with the ability to stretch the story over several episodes , this might improve the quality of the story. I’m still not 100% clear on how all the different games are stringed together, and what the central issue is across all of them. Something about Assassins and an apple and templars, and…