Nearly five years after Netflix first announced its partnership with Ubisoft, cameras are finally rolling on the live-action Assassin’s Creed series. Production officially began on March 9, 2026, at Rome’s historic Cinecittà Studios, immersing the adaptation in the heart of the Roman Empire during one of its most pivotal moments, the year 64 AD. The streaming giant’s ambitious project promises to deliver the parkour, stealth, and philosophical warfare that have defined the 230-million-unit-selling video game franchise, now reimagined for the small screen.
The Netflix adaptation will tell an original story rather than directly adapting a specific game, set against the backdrop of Ancient Rome. The year 64 AD is a particularly potent setting for fans of history and conspiracy alike. It marks the year of the Great Fire of Rome, a devastating blaze that started near the Circus Maximus and raged for days. The show will explore the secret war between two shadowy factions during this time of chaos.
The official logline describes the Assassin’s Creed series as “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”. Filming is expected to last seven months, wrapping around October 16, with a projected release in 2027.
The ensemble cast is as expansive as the Roman Empire itself. Toby Wallace and Lola Petticrew lead the production in undisclosed roles, joined by a roster of series regulars including Zachary Hart, Laura Marcus, Tanzyn Crawford, Nabhaan Rizwan, and Claes Bang.
The supporting cast reads like a roll call of international talent. Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible, Fallout), and Ramzy Bedia are set for recurring roles. In a major update, Netflix recently added four more recurring cast members to round out the ensemble: Sandra Guldberg-Kampp (Foundation), Youssef Kerkour (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Mirren Mack (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple), and Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow).
Guiding this adaptation is a creative team with a pedigree for complex, high-concept storytelling. Emmy nominees Roberto Patino (Westworld, Sons of Anarchy) and David Wiener (Halo, The Killing) serve as creators, showrunners, and executive producers. Johan Renck, known for his Emmy-winning work on Chernobyl, has been tapped to direct. The trio faces the challenge of translating the franchise’s signature parkour and stealth mechanics into compelling narrative television while delivering the depth that fans expect.
“We’ve been fans of Assassin’s Creed since its release in 2007,” Patino and Wiener said 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”.
Ten years after the Michael Fassbender-led film failed to capture the magic of the source material, the Assassin’s Creed series represents a second chance to bring the franchise’s epic scope to a wider audience. By anchoring the narrative in the gritty realism of 64 AD Rome and assembling a team with a deep respect for the source material, Netflix is betting that the leap of faith will finally pay off. The series is set to begin its run on the platform in 2027.
