5 Minutes
Johan Renck takes the reins of Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed
Netflix has hired an acclaimed director to lead its live-action Assassin’s Creed series: Swedish filmmaker Johan Renck, best known for guiding HBO’s Chernobyl to widespread acclaim and an Emmy win. The announcement, first reported by Variety, comes as the streamer finalizes casting — which already includes Toby Wallace (Euphoria), Lola Petticrew (Say Nothing), and series regulars Zachary Hart and Laura Marcus.
What the series will cover (and what remains secret)
Netflix and Ubisoft have kept plot specifics tightly under wraps, but the official logline teases a clandestine war between two shadowy factions: one that seeks to manipulate and steer humanity’s future through control and the other that defends free will. The show promises to weave its story through major historical events, echoing the sprawling, time-jumping tapestry that made the games famous.
Created and executive-produced by Roberto Patino and David Wiener, the show is the flagship of Netflix’s 2020 deal with Ubisoft and represents one of the most closely watched video game-to-TV adaptations in recent years. The Assassin’s Creed franchise began in 2007 and has since expanded to more than a dozen releases — including the latest entry, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows (2025) — and over 230 million copies sold. A theatrical adaptation starring Michael Fassbender hit screens in 2016, but the TV series is positioned to explore the franchise’s epic scope in a longer form.
Why Johan Renck matters
Renck’s cinematic sensibility and appetite for visual storytelling make him a fascinating choice. He gained international recognition with Chernobyl, a compact but emotionally intense miniseries that combined meticulous period detail with rigorous character work. His credits also include directing episodes or contributing to shows such as The Last Panthers, Halt and Catch Fire, Bates Motel, Vikings, and projects with Netflix like the opening episodes of Bloodline and the recent sci-fi feature Spaceman starring Adam Sandler.
Renck himself has a colorful backstory: on the eve of Spaceman’s world premiere he revealed to Variety that the success of Chernobyl once led him to consider leaving filmmaking entirely to open a boutique restaurant in Brooklyn — a plan he ultimately abandoned. That anecdote underscores an artist capable of both bold reinvention and disciplined craft.
How this stacks up against other adaptations
Video game adaptations have a checkered history, from the devoted world-building of The Last of Us to the stumbles of other big-budget attempts. Assassin’s Creed’s sprawling mythos — a centuries-long conflict between Assassins and Templars — gives Netflix fertile ground for serialized storytelling. Renck’s track record with tightly plotted, high-stakes drama suggests the series could avoid the common pitfalls of either diluting game lore or overcomplicating it for newcomers.
Fans on social platforms have greeted the news with cautious optimism: many praise the casting and welcome a director with a strong dramatic pedigree, while some worry the show might lean too heavily on franchise lore at the expense of character.
"Renck understands how to make historical scope feel intimate," says film critic Anna Kovacs. "If he balances spectacle with small, human moments, this adaptation could finally translate Assassin’s Creed into an emotionally resonant TV drama."
What to expect next
Production timelines and release dates are not yet public. As Netflix moves from casting into full production, expect teases about episode structure, whether the series will alternate time periods like the games, and how faithful it will stay to beloved storylines. With Renck at the helm and Roberto Patino and David Wiener steering the writers’ room, this adaptation has the creative leadership to become a major event for both TV audiences and gamers.
Whether you’re a long-time Assassin’s Creed fan or someone intrigued by ambitious historical drama, this series will be one to watch. It promises cinematic production values, a well-regarded director, and the complicated moral questions — power, choice, and destiny — that have always sat at the heart of the franchise.
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