Chernobyl Director Boards Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed — Could This Be the Ambitious Adaptation Fans Have Waited For?

Netflix is finally moving its Assassin's Creed series out of the vague talk phase and into the actually-happening phase. The streamer just locked in Johan Renck to direct, which is a big swing and, frankly, the right kind of swing for this property.

So, who is steering this thing?

Renck is the Swedish filmmaker who turned HBO's Chernobyl into appointment TV and picked up an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series for it. He has also put in time on Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Vikings. If you are sensing a pattern (tense, textured, often bleak), you are not wrong. With him aboard, Netflix clearly wants this to sit alongside its splashier game adaptations like Castlevania, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and Arcane — only this time in live action.

What kind of Assassin's Creed show are we getting?

"a high-octane thriller"

That's Netflix's official vibe check. The setup tracks with the games: a secret war between two rival groups, one obsessed with controlling humanity's path through manipulation, the other bent on defending free will. The show will hop through major historical moments as it follows its characters, drawing from the franchise's long-running Assassins vs. Templars conflict.

The essentials at a glance

• Director: Johan Renck (Chernobyl; Emmy winner for directing; credits include Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Vikings).
• Format: Live-action series at Netflix, based on Ubisoft's blockbuster game franchise.
• Showrunners/creators/EPs: Roberto Patino and David Wiener. They have been openly enthusiastic about the scope of the series and what the IP lets them do.
• Early writer shuffle: Jeb Stuart (Die Hard, The Fugitive) was involved at one point, but is no longer on the project.
• Cast so far: Toby Wallace, Lola Petticrew, Zachary Hart, and Laura Marcus are onboard as series regulars.
• Production timeline: Cameras are expected to roll in 2026 in Italy, per Deadline. Translation: do not expect a release anytime soon.
• Development history: This thing has been floating around for years, first announced back in 2016 under Netflix's initial agreement with Ubisoft. It has picked up real momentum over the last year as the creative leads and cast fell into place.
• Release date: Not yet. Netflix is keeping that part quiet for now.

Quick franchise refresher (and the last time it hit screens)

Assassin's Creed kicked off in 2007 and has since delivered 13 mainline games. The latest is Assassin's Creed Shadows in 2025. Core mythology 101: a centuries-spanning clash between the Order of Assassins and the Knights Templar, usually told through parkour, hidden blades, and morally gray history lessons.

As for prior adaptations, yes, the Michael Fassbender movie from 2016 happened. It did $240 million worldwide and took a bruising from critics. This Netflix series is clearly aiming for a course correction — and with Renck calling the shots, expectations are understandably high.