The Animus is officially online — and this time, it’s taking us to Ancient Rome.
The live-action adaptation of Assassin’s Creed, one of the biggest global blockbuster franchises in video game history, has begun production in Rome, Italy, and for this new chapter, the coordinates are locked on 64 AD.
The upcoming live-action series will tell an original story set in the heart of the Roman Empire, with production primarily filming at the storied Cinecittà Studios. The adaptation is the first series to be developed under Netflix’s partnership with Ubisoft for Assassin’s Creed.
Here’s your encrypted file on what’s to come for the Brotherhood.
With more than 230 million units sold, the Assassin’s Creed franchise is one of the bestselling series in video game history, and set an industry standard with its rich and engrossing storytelling.
While the exact details of the upcoming series are still shrouded in mystery, its logline reads: “Assassin’s Creed is a high-octane thriller 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.”
Earlier casting news revealed that Lola Petticrew (Say Nothing, Tuesday), Toby Wallace (Euphoria Season 3, The Society), Zachary Hart (Slow Horses, Black Doves Season 2), Laura Marcus (Bad Education, Death by Lightning), Tanzyn Crawford (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Tiny Beautiful Things), Nabhaan Rizwan (In Camera, KAOS, Juice), and Claes Bang (The Square, Bad Sisters) would star as series regulars set to explore the world of Assassin’s Creed.
Noomi Rapace (Lamb, Prometheus), Ramzy Bedia (Of Money and Blood, Haunted Minds), Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible — Fallout, The Stranger), and Corrado Invernizzi (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Ford v. Ferrari) also joined the series in recurring roles.
Rounding out the ensemble are recurring cast members Sandra Guldberg-Kampp (Foundation, The Rain, Electric Child), Youssef Kerkour (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Mirren Mack (Hedda, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple), and Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow).
Details about their characters remain under oath, but keep checking Tudum for more updates on the project.
Emmy nominees Roberto Patino (DMZ, Westworld, Sons of Anarchy) and David Wiener (Halo, Homecoming, The Killing) will serve as creators, showrunners, and executive producers.
“We’ve been fans of Assassin’s Creed since its release in 2007. Every day we work on this show, we come away excited and humbled by the possibilities that Assassin’s Creed opens to us,” Wiener and Patino say in a joint statement. “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,” they continue. “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, executive producers include Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin, Austin Dill, Genevieve Jones for Ubisoft Film & Television, and Matt O’Toole.
“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.”
Netflix’s upcoming series will continue its run of gaming adaptations, following in the footsteps of the likes of Castlevania, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and the upcoming Splinter Cell: Deathwatch. Arcane, based on Riot Games’ League of Legends gaming franchise, became an Annie- and Emmy Award–winning animated series acclaimed by fans and critics alike.
No release date for the series has been announced yet, but keep checking Tudum as more secrets from the Brotherhood come out of the shadows.
