The Animus is powering up. Netflix’s long-gestating live-action take on “Assassin’s Creed” has officially recruited its first series regular, with rising star Toby Wallace stepping into a lead role in the ambitious adaptation of Ubisoft’s blockbuster game franchise.
From Historical Parkour to Prestige Streaming
“Assassin’s Creed” has always been cinematic – hooded figures leaping from cathedral spires, conspiracies spanning centuries, and a secret war between Assassins and Templars woven through real history. Now Netflix is aiming to turn that DNA into a full-blown streaming thriller, described as a “high-octane series” blending historical espionage with present-day intrigue.
Wallace, known for acclaimed turns in “Babyteeth” and series like “Pistol” and “The Society”, brings a mix of intensity and vulnerability that fits right into the morally grey world of the Creed. His exact character is being kept under wraps, but early descriptions tease a story that leans into identity, memory and the price of freedom – key pillars of the game franchise.
The Creative Team Behind the Leap of Faith
Behind the camera, the series is guided by genre-savvy storytellers with serious credentials. Showrunning duties are shared by creatives with experience on shows like “Westworld”, “DMZ” and other high-concept genre projects, with Ubisoft’s own film and TV division involved to keep the adaptation aligned with the franchise’s sprawling lore.
Unlike the 2016 feature film, the streaming format gives “Assassin’s Creed” the space to move between time periods and explore multiple bloodlines, potentially echoing the games’ mix of historical missions and present-day conspiracy.
A Franchise Built for Long-Form Storytelling
Since its debut in 2007, “Assassin’s Creed” has jumped from the Crusades to Renaissance Italy, Revolutionary America, Ancient Egypt, Viking-era England and beyond. The Netflix series is expected to tap into that anthology potential, with each season or arc able to focus on a different assassin, era or region while still threading into the larger Assassin–Templar conflict.
Wallace’s casting is the first concrete sign that the project is moving out of development limbo and into full-speed production. For fans, it suggests we’re finally close to seeing parkour chases, rooftop duels and hidden blades realised with streaming-era budgets and scope.
Can Netflix Break the Video Game Curse?
Recent hits like “Arcane” and “The Last of Us” have raised the bar for game adaptations, proving that faithful, character-driven storytelling can connect with both gamers and new audiences. “Assassin’s Creed” now has the chance to join that new wave.
With Toby Wallace on board and production momentum building, all eyes will be on how Netflix balances fan-service – the Animus, the Creed, the iconic leaps of faith – with a fresh narrative that can run for multiple seasons. If they stick the landing, this could be the definitive screen version fans have been waiting for since the franchise first took its leap off the page.