I’m not the biggest gamer in the world, but Assassin’s Creed has long been one of my favorites to see get a video game adaptation. We finally have some news on the television series that will eventually be available with a Netflix subscription, and while we only have a little bit of info at this point, that doesn’t mean I’m not super stoked for this long-awaited adaptation to finally bring the video game to life.
Here’s everything we know about the Assassin’s Creed TV show, as well as a bit of history about the video game franchise.
When Will We Get To See The Show?
Deadline has officially announced the show is going forward after years of discussions, when will we actually see the show? Well, the release date is unknown at this point. The maker of the game, Ubisoft, and Netflix first announced a deal to develop an Assassin’s Creed universe in 2020.
Die Hard and created Vikings: Valhalla for Netflix, set to be involved, but nothing seemed to come of that. Since then, and until the announcement early in July 2025, there was very little news on a potential show, with a brief update in 2022 that didn’t yield much info.
There hasn’t been any news thus far about when production will start, nor when the show will air, but it’s not unreasonable to expect it sometime in 2026. It almost certainly won’t be on the Netflix schedule for 2025. For now, all we know is that the show is officially in pre-production.
Two Veteran Showrunners Will Be In Charge Of The Show
Roberto Patino and David Wiener are the creators, showrunners, and executive producers of the Assassin’s Creed show for Netflix. Patino was an executive producer for the first two seasons of Westworld (by far the best two seasons of that show) and created DMZ, both for HBO. He also has written for shows like Sons of Anarchy and Prime Suspect.
Wiener brings previous video game adaptation experience, having been the showrunner on Season 2 of Halo, which you can watch now with a Paramount+ subscription. He was also the showrunner on the underrated Brave New World series on Peacock. Before that, he was an executive producer on Fear the Walking Dead.
I think both Patino and Wiener bring a lot to the table here, and it seems like the show is in capable hands. As they said in their press release,
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.
Before adding a little tease about the kind of show it might be,
It is about power and violence and sex and greed and vengeance.
It will be exciting to follow the development of the show, especially with who the producers add to the cast in the coming weeks and months. One casting possibility that I think would be really fun is Kristen Bell, who played a voice role in the first three installments of the video game series, but that is just wishful thinking on my part.
I Can’t Wait To See Where The Series Takes Us
One of the reasons I got hooked on the Assassin’s Creed video games is the rich history it incorporates into each game. If you’re not familiar with the franchise, the lore is that the Order of Assassins is locked in a centuries-long, secret war with the Knights Templar. Both secret societies are based on real historical groups, but from there, the story is highly fictionalized, though some actual events and figures from history do make appearances.
Each game in the series (there have been 14 games thus far) takes place in a different time and place in history. Those points in history are reached through a time machine of sorts, called an “Animus,” which simulates the past and allows the user to tap into his or her genetic code and physicality of an ancestor, reliving the past. Yeah, it’s a little confusing, so that’s one thing I’m excited to see the show tackle.
From there, the sky is the limit as to when and where the Animus could take us on the show. The first game was set during the Third Crusade in the Holy Land, for example. The franchise has also had games set in Ancient Greece, the American Revolution, and the Viking invasion of 9th-century England, for example.
My favorite game of the series is Assassin’s Creed II, which takes place primarily across two cities in modern-day Italy, Florence and Venice, plus the small town of Monteriggioni, during the Renaissance. This is the game I would love to see the series be based on. Climbing the walls of famous buildings, like The Duomo in Florence and the St. Mark’s Campanile in Venice would be amazing to see on the small screen.
This Isn’t The First Adaptation Of The Video Game Franchise
In 2016, director Justin Kurzel teamed up with Michael Fassbender to bring Assassin’s Creed to the big screen. The movie took place in a time and place that had never appeared in the game franchise, which I was disappointed in, but I didn’t hate the movie like some critics did.
As a fan of the games, I was intrigued by the new story, and I thought the action was fantastic, but it wasn’t a perfect representation of all the game can be. Even Michael Fassbender was critical of it, saying it wasn’t fun enough. The critical and box office failure of the movie doomed the potential franchise then, but I think a TV show actually makes a lot more sense, because so much more story can be developed.
Netflix Has A Track Record Of Video Game Adaptations
Assassin’s Creed is far from the first video game adaptation Netflix has taken on. Resident Evil and The Witcher have been live-action hits for the stream, and Tomb Raider has had a great animated treatment, for example. One of the more unexpected animated adaptations (for me at least) came from Castlevania, which was a pleasant surprise for old Gen Xers like me.
I’ll be sure to keep my ear out for any updates on the upcoming Assassin’s Creed adaptation, as I really can’t wait to see how it all turns out.