Will Ospreay has already borrowed plenty from the Assassin’s Creed world for his wrestling career, but now he’d like to take that relationship somewhere completely different. The AEW star has officially thrown his name into the mix for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Netflix series and says he’s ready to see whether acting could be his next challenge.
Speaking to Orlando Tourism Report, Ospreay was initially asked whether playing newer Assassin’s Creed games ever gives him ideas for new wrestling moves. At this point, he’s not really looking to reinvent himself because he feels the presentation he already has is working just fine.
“I don’t know about that. I’m more trying to just, like, feel the storylines and the characters and stuff. Like, because what’s worked for me for so long has worked, and I don’t really need to change that much about my presentation as much now.”
Ospreay is still very much into the games themselves. He’s played Shadows, recently started the new Black Flag, and remains a massive fan of the franchise that helped shape his wrestling character.
“And, like, I’ve played Shadows. I’ve just started playing the new Black Flag as well, and I think that’s, like — honestly, the picture quality is just beautiful on that. And I just implore everyone to go and play those games because they were such a huge hit for me. I always enjoyed playing them.”
That connection goes all the way back to the creation of Ospreay’s Aerial Assassin persona. His trainer Greg Burridge taught him that a wrestler only gets a few seconds after walking through the curtain to make people stop whatever they’re doing and pay attention.
“Like, for me, when I first developed the Aerial Assassin, I remember my trainer Greg Burridge was kind of like, ‘You just have to have something that connects people.’ Like, because the moment you walk through that curtain, you’ve got six seconds to tell people what you’re all about — to make people stop being on their phone and to look at you for a second. And that’s where it came out.”
Assassin’s Creed gave Ospreay an easy way to communicate exactly what his character was supposed to be. Fans could look at the way he moved and immediately understand the inspiration behind it.
“It was just kind of like everyone knew what I was going for in my production-wise, in my presentation, and people just understood, like, I’m moving like the Assassin’s Creed characters. So that was kind of the main reason behind it.”
Then came the Hidden Blade. Once Ospreay developed the elbow strike, naming it after something from the franchise that had already influenced so much of his career felt like an obvious move.
“Once I developed the elbow strike, the Hidden Blade, it was just kind of like, how can I not attach that to the game that’s given me so much?”
That relationship eventually became a real partnership with Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed. Ospreay noted that they’ve already worked together on three different wrestling entrances, and he’s hoping that isn’t where things end.
“And, like, I’ve had such a beautiful relationship with Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed now. Like, we’ve done three different entrances over a course of how many years. And I’m just — I truly am blessed. It’s been such a great partnership, and I’m glad to be doing stuff with them. I hope it does lead to some other things.”
That’s where things got particularly interesting. Ospreay revealed that after hearing about the planned Assassin’s Creed Netflix series, he decided there was no harm in putting himself forward for a possible role.
“Like, I mean, I’ve put myself out there because I’ve heard that they’re doing, like, a Netflix show — like, they’re doing an Assassin’s Creed show — and I’ve put myself out there. All they can do is, like, say no or yes, but, like, I’d love to dip my toes into the acting world.”
Nothing has been agreed to, and Ospreay wasn’t claiming he’s landed a role. He simply wants the opportunity, although he already knows one part of acting would probably require some serious work.
“I mean, I think I’d struggle with the script reading because I’m not the best reader, but it’s something that I would happily, like, put all my heart and attention to because it only just helps out build AEW.”
Ospreay has already spent years turning his love for Assassin’s Creed into part of his wrestling identity, so appearing in the franchise itself would bring things pretty much full circle. For now, he’s put his name out there and is waiting to see whether anybody decides to give the Aerial Assassin a shot in a very different arena.
What do you think about Will Ospreay putting himself forward for an acting opportunity with Assassin’s Creed? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
