Sam Fisher is back, and this time, he’s animated, as Netflix has unveiled the teaser trailer for its upcoming adult animated series, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, offering more information on the show’s setting and characters.
While the minute-long trailer doesn’t reveal much about its plot, it does offer a better look at Liev Schreiber’s (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) Fisher, who takes over the role from Michael Ironside after the latter’s almost-20-year run portraying the iconic spy. The show’s version of Fisher is much gruffer, and looks to be older too, sporting long grey hair and a thick beard. Age hasn’t dulled the agent’s skills, however, as brief clips still show him dispatching enemy soldiers with ease.
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch also looks to be set following the events of Ubisoft’s 2005 game Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, as Fisher is heard saying that the mission “is personal”, followed by a brief flashback to the funeral of Douglas Shetland. Shetland was a close friend and comrade of Fisher before eventually falling on opposite sides of the conflict, leading to his death at the hands of Fisher in the 2005 game.
In addition to teasing where the show takes place within the Splinter Cell timeline, the trailer also introduces new characters and the actors who will be embodying returning ones. Killing Eve actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste will be playing an original character named Zinnia McKenna, and is joined by Janet Varney (The Legend of Korra) as returning character and series staple Anna Grimsdottir, alongside Joel Oulette (Avatar: The Last Airbender) as Thunder, another new face.
Derek Kolstad, who wrote the first three John Wick films and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, will serve as head writer and executive producer. Guillaume Dousse and Félicien Colmet-Daage are set to co-direct the series, with animation studios Sun Creature and Fost producing.
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch might not be the true return of Fisher after an absence in the gaming scene since 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, but depending on how it performs when it lands on Netflix on 14 October 2025, it might convince Ubisoft to finally revive the character in a modern video game outing.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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