Netflix Sets Live-Action Assassin’s Creed Series Franchise

Assassin’s Creed is coming to Netflix, beginning with a live-action adaptation of the popular video game franchise. The show marks the first project in a wide-ranging development deal between the streaming giant and the video game company Ubisoft to develop live-action shows based on Assassin’s Creed. The deal between Ubisoft and Netflix includes the creation of animated and anime series as well. “We’re excited to partner with Ubisoft and bring to life the rich, multilayered storytelling that Assassin’s Creed is beloved for,” Netflix vp of original series Peter Friedlander said in a statement about the deal. “From its breathtaking historical worlds and massive global appeal as one of the best selling video game franchises of all time, we are committed to carefully crafting epic and thrilling entertainment based on this distinct IP and provide a deeper dive for fans and our members around the world to enjoy.” For Netflix, the deal marks the latest push into video game IP. Late last year, the Henry Cavill-led Netflix adaptation of the fantasy novels The Witcher, which were popularized in the US by a best-selling video game series, found resounding success: the streamer said the series was watched by 76 million households in its first four weeks on the service, putting it on track to be Netflix’s biggest Season One release ever. Netflix is also working on both live-action and animated adaptations of Resident Evil, a long-running horror video game and film franchise from the Japanese video game company Capcom. The development deal also marks an extension of an existing relationship between Netflix and Ubisoft. The two companies previously partnered on a film adaptation of the game Tom Clancy’s The Division. That film, which would have followed the fall-out from a devastating global pandemic, has not yet been released. Ubisoft also works with other streamers. For example, it's producing the live-action Apple TV+ show Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, which follows the team that works on a multiplayer video game. As Assassin’s Creed makes its way to Netflix, other beloved video game stories are finding their ways to television, too. Among them: Showtime is working on a live-action adaptation of the ultra-popular video game series Halo, while HBO is working on an adaptation of the Naughty Dog apocalypse video game franchise The Last of Us. Since Assassin’s Creed’s first title debuted in 2007, the franchise has racked up 155 million games sold around the world. There are 11 main titles released as part of the franchise; the latest, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, is set to be released next month; the franchise has inspired more than a dozen spin-offs games, as well as other cross-media projects, like novels and short films. A 2016 feature film adaptation, though, was not a critical or box-office success. “For more than 10 years, millions of fans around the world have helped shape the Assassin’s Creed brand into an iconic franchise," Ubisoft Film & Television Los Angeles head Jason Altman said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to create an Assassin’s Creed series with Netflix and we look forward to development the next saga in the Assassin’s Creed universe.”