Assassin's Creed (TV series)

Lore & Background

In October 2020, Ubisoft and Netflix entered a content deal to produce multiple adaptations of the Assassin's Creed franchise, including a live-action series. Jeb Stuart was initially attached to write the live-action series, but by January 2023, he had departed the project. No subsequent green light, showrunner, or casting announcements have been publicly confirmed by Netflix or Ubisoft. No production details, including filming locations or start dates, have been officially released.

Reader's Guide

The Assassin's Creed television series represents a major expansion of the franchise into live-action streaming, following a content deal between Ubisoft and Netflix announced in 2020. Its significance lies in being the first live-action series adaptation of the popular video game franchise, set in a historically specific period—Ancient Rome in 64 AD—during the Great Fire of Rome and the reign of Nero. The series features an original story rather than a direct adaptation of any game, allowing it to explore new narratives within the established conflict between Assassins and Templars. The production involves a large ensemble cast, including both series regulars and recurring actors, and is filmed on location in Italy at Cinecittà Studios. The involvement of co-showrunners Roberto Patino and David Wiener, along with director Johan Renck, signals a high-profile production. The series is part of a broader deal that also includes an animated series and an anime series, indicating Netflix's commitment to expanding the Assassin's Creed universe across multiple formats. Its legacy will depend on its reception and its ability to translate the franchise's gameplay and lore into a compelling television narrative.

Did You Know?

• Principal photography began on March 10, 2026, in Italy, primarily at Cinecittà Studios in Rome.
• Jeb Stuart was initially attached to write the series but departed by January 2023.
• The series is part of a content deal between Ubisoft and Netflix that also includes an animated series and an anime series.

A New Chapter in Ancient Rome

The Netflix series takes the Assassin's Creed universe in a direction the games have never explored on screen. Rather than adapting a single title's plot, the show delivers a wholly original story that still orbits the franchise's defining engine: the centuries-long conflict between Assassins and Templars. The creators chose a period of extraordinary historical turbulence as their canvas—Ancient Rome in the year 64 AD, when Nero's reign was in full swing and the Great Fire of Rome would soon consume the capital. Roberto Patino and David Wiener serve as co-showrunners and executive producers, steering the narrative for Ubisoft Film & Television. The project is classified as a historical action-adventure, a genre label that signals both the period setting and the physical storytelling the show intends to deliver. By anchoring the story in one of antiquity's most dramatic moments, the series aims to give the Assassin-Templar conflict a fresh, visceral setting while remaining faithful to the broader mythology established across the game series published by Ubisoft.

A Long Road to Greenlight

The journey from initial concept to an officially greenlit production spanned nearly five years. In October 2020, Ubisoft and Netflix struck a sweeping content partnership encompassing multiple adaptations of the Assassin's Creed franchise: a live-action series, an animated series, and an anime series. Jeb Stuart was the first writer attached to the live-action project, but by January 2023 he had stepped away from the endeavor. The series then sat in development limbo until July 2025, when Netflix formally greenlit the show and confirmed Roberto Patino and David Wiener as its creators and showrunners. The production carries a substantial executive producer team—Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin, Jason Altman, and Danielle Kreinik—all working under the Ubisoft Film & Television banner. Director Johan Renck was brought on board to helm episodes of the series. The extended timeline between the original deal and the greenlight underscores how carefully both studios approached translating this particular franchise into a serialized television format.

Assembling the Ensemble

Casting for the series unfolded in distinct waves over several months, building a layered ensemble of both series regulars and recurring performers. The first announcements, arriving in November and December 2025, brought Toby Wallace, Lola Petticrew, Zachary Hart, and Laura Marcus aboard as the initial group of series regulars. Tanzyn Crawford followed in January 2026, solidifying the core cast. A significant expansion came in March 2026, when Claes Bang and Nabhaan Rizwan were confirmed as additional series regulars, while Noomi Rapace, Ramzy Bedia, Sean Harris, and Corrado Invernizzi joined in recurring capacities. Later that same month, Sandra Guldberg Kamp, Youssef Kerkour, Mirren Mack, and Louis McCartney were added to the slate. The staggered casting timeline coincided with the confirmation that principal photography had already begun, signaling the project had moved decisively from planning into active production. Those March 2026 announcements also confirmed the time period of the series, tying the growing cast directly to the ancient Roman setting that would frame every performance.

Shooting in the Heart of Rome

Principal photography for the series commenced on March 10, 2026, with the production team based in Italy—the very country whose ancient capital serves as the show's primary setting. The bulk of filming is scheduled to take place at Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The shoot is expected to run for approximately seven months, with a projected wrap in mid-October 2026. This extended production window reflects the scale of a historical action-adventure series set against the backdrop of Nero's Rome and the Great Fire. The decision to film in Italy rather than in another country gives the production an authentic geographic grounding that aligns with the show's ancient Roman setting. The March 2026 casting announcements, which confirmed both the time period and the start of filming, marked the moment the project transitioned from a greenlit script into a full-scale production. With the entire creative and technical infrastructure mobilized around the Cinecittà lot, the series entered its most demanding phase: translating the centuries-long Assassin-Templar conflict into a tangible, on-screen world.