Netflix has just added yet another critically acclaimed video game property to its ever-growing list of adaptations.
The streaming platform has announced today that a new live-action venture based on Ubisoft’s critically acclaimed Assassin’s Creed franchise is in the works. Furthermore, the project, which has seemingly yet to enter development, will be produced in direct partnership with the aforementioned publisher and that head of Ubisoft’s Film & Television division, Jason Altman, is on board as executive producer alongside Danielle Kreinik. Of the newly-formed relationship, Netflix VP Peter Friedlander said the following via press release:
We’re excited to partner with Ubisoft and bring to life the rich, multilayered storytelling that Assassin’s Creed is beloved for. 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.
Netflix + Assassin's Creed pic.twitter.com/yI2sItnMgi
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) October 27, 2020
While it’s clearly still early days for this fledgling series, we can naturally only wonder how a showrunner (one has yet to be found) will go about tackling the source material when adapting it for the small screen or, for that matter, if they will at all.
Spread across multiple time periods – Renaissance Italy, Ancient Egypt and Victorian England, to name just a few – as it is, the individual eventually chosen to take charge of Netflix’s latest venture will undoubtedly have access to a budget large enough to visit just one location from the games. There is, of course, always the option to simply borrow the central themes explored in Assassin’s Creed and apply them to a wholly original story, but considering how that approach turned out for 20th Century Fox, we’d imagine this attempt will follow the source material to a much larger degree.
We’ll ultimately just have to wait and see, either way, but in the meantime, be sure to let us know what you make of today’s surprise announcement in the usual place down below!