After years of talking up the project, Michael Fassbender’s Assassin’s Creed movie did not, it’s fair to say, live up to the promise of the games, even with a talented filmmaker like Justin Kurzel aboard. But now it looks like Netflix is going to be diving into the world of ancient assassins – likely from a great height, into a wagon filled with hay, while an eagle squawks up in the heavens. Yes, the Brotherhood is coming back to the screen in an upcoming series at the streaming service – so prepare the Animus, sharpen your wrist-blades, and get ready to run from never-ending waves of pissed-off guards.
Not much is known about the series – including which historical period it’ll be set in – but Netflix has confirmed it will be live-action, and has announced Ubisoft’s Jason Altman and Danielle Kreinik as Executive Producers. "For more than 10 years, millions of fans around the world have helped shape the Assassin’s Creed brand into an iconic franchise," says Altman, who’s head of Ubisoft Film and Television Los Angeles. “We’re thrilled to create an Assassin’s Creed series with Netflix and we look forward to developing the next saga in the Assassin’s Creed universe."
Considering the streaming service has done a good job of bringing the world of The Witcher to the screen, here’s hoping they can do a similar job with the Assassin’s Creed world – because, considering that the set-up takes in ancient hit-squads, sci-fi nonsense about being ported back into the bodies of your ancient ancestors, and pulling off sneaky murders, Kurzel’s film somehow ended up being truly, deathly dull. For the uninitiated, the Assassin’s Creed games feature present day characters whose long-long-long-ago relatives were part of a secret assassination squad who have long shaped the course of history – and whose consciousnesses are transported back to ancient times via a machine called the Animus to pull off hit-jobs.
While the game series began in the Crusades and moved forward through time across the likes of the Renaissance, the American Revolutionary War, and Victorian Britain, the more recent games have gone much further back in history to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and – in the upcoming game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – the Viking invasions. Perhaps they’ll switch time periods each season – and going by the usual Netflix production values, they’ll have the cash needed to bring those ancient worlds to life.
Beyond this initial announcement, the Assassin’s Creed series is in the early stages of development – so don’t expect to see something until late 2021 at the earliest, and more likely in 2022.