Video game adaptations have improved in recent years (see: Amazon’s Fallout series), but it took a lot of trial and error to get to this point. History is full of on-screen game adaptations that fell short one way or another. The Assassin’s Creed movie released in 2016 is one of the more infamous examples. Despite featuring a high-profile cast that included Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, the film was critically panned and underwhelmed at the box office (grossing $240.6 million worldwide against a $125 million production budget). Still, Assassin’s Creed remains a popular gaming franchise, so Hollywood is going to give it another go — this time as a series on Netflix. And the latest development is an encouraging sign for its quality.
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According to Variety, Johan Renck has signed on to direct the Assassin’s Creed series. His most famous credit to date is the critically acclaimed Chernobyl, for which he earned several accolades, including multiple Best Director wins at various award shows.
Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed Could Be the Next Great Video Game Adaptation
While some recent video game adaptations, like the Sonic the Hedgehog film series and The Super Mario Bros. Movie have found box office success, it perhaps isn’t surprising that the most acclaimed gaming adaptations have been made for TV. That medium seems ideal for these types of projects since video games feature long-form storytelling. Even shorter narrative-driven single-player games, like the Uncharted series, are much longer than a feature film. Television gives creatives more real estate to work with so they can do the characters and stories justice.
Assassin’s Creed boasts a rich lore and mythology, giving Netflix plenty of compelling material to work with. In addition to that, Renck should prove to be an excellent fit for the series. Chernobyl earned raves for its impeccable craftsmanship and dramatic exploration of a horrifying tragedy. Tonally, Assassin’s Creed should be a bit different since it should be more of an action-adventure title than a straight-up historical drama, but Renck’s work on that series proves he’s more than capable of handling captivating narratives with the attention and care they deserve and that he can get outstanding performances out of his cast.
If Renck’s qualities as a helmsman carry over to Assassin’s Creed, Netflix’s adaptation should sport incredible attention to detail with a very immersive approach. Obviously, nothing can replicate the feeling of holding a controller and playing the game yourself (that level of interactivity is what makes games such a unique form of entertainment), but Renck and Co. can certainly do their best to provide viewers with the next best thing. What’s more is that game adaptations are in a very different place now than they were years before (including when the Assassin’s Creed movie came out), meaning the Assassin’s Creed creative team should be confident about fully embracing all the sensibilities that make the games stand out.
It should be exciting to see Renck’s vision for Assassin’s Creed take shape. His hiring indicates that Netflix isn’t just moving forward with the series because of the brand recognition. The streamer wants this to be a big hit for them — their answer to The Last of Us and Fallout. The best way to accomplish that is by assembling top tier talent on both sides of the camera, and Netflix seems to have done that. After Assassin’s Creed fans were left disappointed by the feature film adaptation, they might have something special with the streaming series.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
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A photo of the Retrovolt Arcade taken in 2017, showing several classic arcade cabinets and stools.
