Info in Movie News | Netflix has officially taken a major step forward with its long awaited live action adaptation of Assassin’s Creed, locking in actor Toby Wallace as the first confirmed series lead. The Australian actor, known for standout roles in movies like Babyteeth, The Bikeriders, and the FX limited series Pistol, becomes the face of what Netflix is shaping as one of its most ambitious game based projects to date. Wallace’s strong and heartfelt method of acting has been acknowledged by the industry already, and thus he seems like a very interesting character to be involved in a world that deals with ethical issues, secret past, and inheritance of the family.
According to Variety, Wallace will be one of the main characters in the show; however, Netflix and Ubisoft are not revealing any information about his role. The only thing that is certain is that the character will be the one they created for the story and not a simple copy of an assassin or a templar from the long game series. Such a move gives the writers the freedom to come up with new concepts which are not limited to the games’ plot. Besides that, it gives the opportunity to Wallace to develop a character who could eventually be the leader of a multi-season story, instead of only being a character fans are familiar with but reimagined.
The series is going focus largely on the covert conflict of the Assassins, the ones who struggle for freedom, versus the Templars, the ones that believe that mankind is the only way to be saved if it is under a strict control. Netflix portrays the adaptation as an intense thriller with changing personalities, ancestral memories, and historical moments at its core. The main stuff from the franchise will be there, for example, parkour, historical conspiracies, the pieces of Eden (which are old objects), and the Animus (a device that enables one to live in his/her ancestors’ memories) technology. Instead of replaying familiar game storylines, the show will tell a character driven narrative built specifically for television.
Behind the scenes, the project is overseen by a remarkable creative married pair. Creators, showrunners, and executive producers, Roberto Patino and David Wiener, are leading the way. Patino is known for his work on Westworld and DMZ, while Wiener contributed to Halo, Homecoming, and The Killing. Their combined experience with large scale worldbuilding and layered dramatic storytelling gives the series a strong foundation. Before, in their earliest remarks, the two of them stressed that the game shouldn’t be seen only as a grand spectacle. According to their understanding, the main theme of the narrative is the protagonists’ exploration of meaning, their grappling with fate, and the characters feeling the side of the world’s harshness that comes with it: violence, loyalty, and inheriting a feud, all.
Netflix has made it clear that this series is not a small experiment. When the company signed its partnership with Ubisoft in 2020, the goal was to bring one of gaming’s richest universes to life on a scale worthy of its legacy. Assassin’s Creed has kept the record of being among the best-selling and most story-driven game franchises of all time with a total of more than 230 million copies sold across its lineup. Netflix wants to take the advantage of the wave its game-based shows like Arcane, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and Castlevania have created by releasing a source-respecting adaptation that is also strong stand-alone.
Initial production info reveals that production is scheduled to start in 2026, with Italy being one of the primary locations. This selection, in fact, prompts a lot of speculation as Italy is very much entwined with the franchise through the legendary Ezio storyline. Regardless of the fact that no specific era has been mentioned, the location suggestion gives an impression that the creators might be situating their storyline in a historically accurate European world, though it is their own world. The introduction of the new character indicates that the series will mix the known features of the Assassin's Creed with a totally different storyline.
It is once again a major turning point for Toby Wallace who has been steadily progressing, and this is his stellar career move that got him the breakthrough. After getting widespread critical acclaim and awards recognition with Babyteeth, starring in prominent movies with Tom Hardy, Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, and Guy Pearce, and becoming a new series regular in Euphoria Season 3, he has become a talent that people are eager to work with in a very short time. Leading an international franchise adaptation on Netflix puts him on a new level and introduces him to a global mainstream audience.
With a powerful creative team, direct involvement from Ubisoft, and a fresh character driven approach, Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated game adaptations in upcoming years. Should the series manage to combine the emotional depth of its main character with the brand's typical historical mystery and action, it could be a remarkable new entry in the platform's expanding collection of high-quality genre projects.
Source Variety, Deadline, Tudum Netflix.
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