The long-gestating “Assassin’s Creed” live-action series adaptation is officially moving forward at Netflix, Variety has learned.
The news comes nearly five years after it was first reported that the streaming giant was developing a series version of the global hit video game franchise under a deal with game publisher Ubisoft. The project has gone through multiple creative teams in that time, with Roberto Patino and David Wiener now set as creators, showrunners, and executive producers.
“We’ve been fans of ‘Assassin’s Creed’ since its release in 2007,” Wiener and Patino said. “Every day we work on this show, we come away excited and humbled by the possibilities that ‘Assassin’s Creed’ opens to us. Beneath the scope, the spectacle, the parkour and the thrills is a baseline for the most essential kind of human story — about people searching for purpose, struggling with questions of identity and destiny and faith. It is about power and violence and sex and greed and vengeance. But more than anything, this is a show about the value of human connection, across cultures, across time. And it’s about what we stand to lose as a species, when those connections break. We’ve got an amazing team behind us with the folks at Ubisoft and our champions at Netflix, and we’re committed to creating something undeniable for fans all over the planet.”
In addition to Wiener and Patino, Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin and Austin Dill of Ubisoft Film & Television serve as executive producers, as does Matt O’Toole.
The first “Assassin’s Creed” game debuted in 2007 and became an instant hit, with over 230 million copies of the various titles in the franchise having been sold to date. There have been 14 installments in the main franchise so far, with the most recent being “Assassin’s Creed: Shadows,” released in 2025. A film adaptation starring Michael Fassbender was released in 2016.
The official logline for the show states that it is “centered on the secret war between two shadowy factions — one set on determining mankind’s future through control and manipulation, while the other fights to preserve free will. The series follows its characters across pivotal historical events as they battle to shape humanity’s destiny.”
“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 Peter Friedlander, Netflix’s vice president of scripted series. “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 honors 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.”
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The “Assassin’s Creed” games explore the war between the rival secret orders of the Assassins and the Templars as they use advanced machines to access the genetic memories of Assassins in different periods of the past to track down powerful artifacts called Pieces of Eden.
“We are so excited to work alongside Roberto, David, and our Netflix partners to bring this beloved franchise to series,” says Boykin, executive producer and head of content at Ubisoft Film & Television. “We look forward to delivering an experience that speaks to the heart of what fans love about ‘Assassin’s Creed,’ while introducing its unforgettable worlds and timeless themes to new audiences worldwide.”
Patino previously developed the HBO Max miniseries “DMZ,” which was based on the comic books of the same name. Most recently, he worked as a writer and co-executive producer on the Netflix limited series “Zero Day” starring Robert De Niro. His other credits include “Westworld” and”Sons of Anarchy.” Wiener was the showrunner on Season 2 of fellow video game adaptation “Halo” at Paramount+ as well as the Peacock adaptation of “Brave New World.” He has also written for shows like “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Homecoming.”
Patino is repped by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Goodman Genow. Wiener is repped by UTA and TFC.
This will be the first live-action series produced under the Netflix-Ubisoft deal. Previously, the two companies partnered on the animated show “Rabbids Invasion” as well as “Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix.” The animated series “Splinter Cell: Deathwatch” is slated to debut later this year.
From Variety US