With a series co-lead confirmed for Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed TV series, it seems as though the studio is finally making moves towards bringing their most risky project to life. Assassin’s Creed began life as a series of video games which first debuted all the way back in 2007.

Over the course of the next 20 years, the franchise has expanded, introducing new characters, an intriguing and layered plot that spans corners of time and ancient history alongside an alien race, and some of the most fun travel and fighting mechanics in a video game series.

While this format has led to hundreds of millions of sales for Ubisoft when it comes to the video games in the series, both Ubisoft and Netflix are taking a big risk as they attempt to adapt a live-action adaptation of the franchise. Regardless, they are making moves to make it happen.

Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed TV Show Is Picking Up Steam

In November 2025, five years after Netflix purchased the rights to make a live-action series based on the Assassin’s Creed games, there has finally been a development. Toby Wallace is set to be a co-lead in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed series, which means things are actually starting to take shape.

Now, details about who Wallace is playing, or indeed what will happen in the series are all tightly under wraps, as is expected in any project at this early stage of development. But, it has been confirmed that the story will feature two warring factions, likely the Templars and the Assassin’s, which mirrors the game.

An announcement like this confirms that there is movement going on behind the scenes, and casting generally happens after much of the creative work has been laid out. However, this remains a very risky investment for all parties involved for a wide variety of reasons.

Why An Assassin’s Creed Live-Action Show Is A Risky Project

Back in 2016, a feature film, titled Assassin’s Creed, was widely released with the incredible Michael Fassbender in the leading role. However, this movie proved to be an incredible flop, both financially and critically. Which has been a common trend for video game adaptations in general.

Over the decades, many studios have attempted to make successful video game adaptations for both the big and small screens, but until the last 10 years, almost none succeeded. Whether it proves too challenging to pack the contents of a rich and expansive game into a feature film, or the fanbase is too critical, the result is that these projects face major hurdles.

And while recent video game adaptations have proven to be a hit, such as the Fallout series, there are still many video game adaptations that fail, for instance, Halo, World of Warcraft, and Mortal Kombat.

Beyond that, the strength of the Assassin’s Creed franchise has dwindled in the last five or so years, with their latest release, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, amassing a great deal of controversy before being released, and achieving remarkably low sales compared to previous entries.

All things considered, it feels like Assassin’s Creed is not in a strong position to win over the fanbase with a new TV adaptation, and considering how poorly the last attempt went, it could prove disastrous for Ubisoft and the franchise as a whole.

Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed Can Be A Great Addition To The Franchise

Now, all of that being said, there is a chance that this TV series could actually be exactly what Assassin’s Creed needs right now. The recent criticism of their last game is now in the rear view, and there is still a lot of nostalgia for the most popular games in the series.

For example, the games featuring Ezio Auditore de Firenze as the protagonist continue to be popular today. And with the news that this series will be filmed in Italy, it seems plausible that the creatives have taken note of what works and may be leaning into that.

Assassin’s Creed also has great potential as a unique storytelling format, with the game’s central mechanic revolving around how modern-day protagonists are recruited to use a machine that accesses their ancestral memories and puts them in the lives and times of their heroic forefathers.

This could be a great format for a TV series, with episodes revolving around characters who revisit parts of history through the eyes and experiences of their ancestors to uncover incredible hidden secrets. It sounds incredible, but it also needs to incorporate things that made the series so popular to begin with.

Assuming the Netflix Assassin’s Creed series can get a solid grasp on the stealth, the parkour, and the fighting that made the games so engaging, while also diving into the mystery that kept audiences coming back, it has the potential to be an important building block in regaining the audience’s trust.

Of course, it remains to be seen how well they can pull all of this off, but there is a chance that Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed adaptation will reignite the spark for a lot of fans and potentially begin a brand-new chapter in its legacy.