Splinter Cell animated series from John Wick writer headed to Netflix

Splinter Cell is getting a Netflix animated series from John Wick writer Derek Kolstad.

According to a report from Variety, Kolstad will serve as both writer and executive producer for the series, which is reportedly planned for 16 episodes split into two seasons. With Netflix and Ubisoft partnering to bring the series to life, it will obviously be a Netflix exclusive. 

We haven't seen any movement from the Splinter Cell series since 2013 with the release of Blacklist, but rumors have kept the series alive in the background. Most recently, protagonist Sam Fisher's Italian voice actor, Luca Ward, suggested that a "conclusive episode" for the series was originally scheduled to release this year, but was pushed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ward said he is "sure that Splinter Cell will return," but Ubisoft hasn't said anything about a sequel, let alone a finale. 

Nevertheless, it's clear that the studio is still interested in the franchise – at least enough to give it its own Netflix animated series. This isn't the first time Ubisoft has used its game properties for other media – just look at the Assassin's Creed movie – but it is the studio's first animated series. 

That said, this is par for the course for Netflix, which already has several animated video game adaptations on its roster. Castlevania is probably the most well-known, but just last month, the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners animated series was revealed for the platform, though it won't arrive until 2022. A Dragon's Dogma Netflix animated series is also on the way, and recently received a September release date. 

Perhaps we'll hear more about this Splinter Cell series at the second Ubisoft Forward show coming in September.