As Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed starts production, we finally know what time period this adaptation of the hit video game series will take place in!
As soon as Netflix announced plans to adapt the smash hit Assassin’s Creed video games, fans had one question: When does it take place? The Ubisoft game series alternates between the present and the past as a war between the Assassins and Templars unfolds across multiple eras.
The first game used the Crusades, which was later utilized for the 2016 feature film. Later games have used settings such as the Renaissance, the American Revolution, the Golden Age of Piracy, the Viking invasions of England, the French Revolution, ancient Greece and Egypt, and (at long last) feudal Japan.
Now, per Deadline, Netflix has confirmed that production for their Assassin’s Creed series has begun filming in Italy. It also confirmed that rather than adapt a specific game, the series will tell an original story set in Rome in 64 AD.
The release also confirms the full cast for the show, which includes Toby Wallace, Lola Petticrew, Laura Marcus, Tanzyn Crawford, Zachary Hart, Nabhaan Rizwan, Claes Bang, Noomi Rapace, Ramzy Bedia, Sean Harris, Corrado Invernizzi, Sandra Guldberg Kamp, Youseff Kerkour and Mirren Mack. Just added to the cast are Sandra Guldberg-Kampp, Youssef Kerkour, Mirren Mack and Louis McCartney.
This is an intriguing choice for the show’s setting, which will serve as a good backdrop to promote sort of the action the series is known for.
Why Ancient Rome fits Assassin’s Creed
Fans of the series know how excellent the games are at replicating ancient settings and using real-life locations for the action. They also weave history into the storylines and in this case, the choice of setting for Netflix's series is fantastic fodder for drama.
To put on our history buff caps, 64 AD was when Rome was hit by a massive fire that destroyed two-thirds of the city. Needing a scapegoat, Emperor Nero (never a stable man to begin with) launched a wave of Christian persecution that would plunge the empire into chaos. By the time Nero took his own life in 68 AD, Rome was on the brink of civil war.
That gives the show ample material to use. It’d fit the mythos that some sort of battle between the secret factions is what caused the fire in the first place. One side could be manipulating Nero for their own purposes. There’s also how Nero famously survived a couple of assassination attempts, which is handing the show a ready-made storyline on a platter.
With Netflix’s budget behind them, the producers are set to replicate the ancient Roman setting and tackle the political backstabbing (along with the literal kind) common in this era. Much like Starz's Spartacus series, this show can utilize the setting for top-notch action sequences. We have to wait and see how it unfolds, but this is a setting perfect for the Assassin’s Creed games to ensure the television series thrills fans!
No release date has yet been announced for Assassin's Creed, but it's expected to stream on Netflix sometime in 2027.