After waiting patiently for three years, we finally have our first look at the anime adaptation of the acclaimed video game Splinter Cell thanks to Netflix Geeked Week. Not only do we get our first slice of footage from the upcoming animated series, it has also now been revealed who will provide the voice of former U.S. Navy SEAL officer Sam Fisher. And it’s pretty perfect. Having waited with bated breath, fans can now exhale as it is revealed that Ray Donovan and X-Men Origins: Wolverine star Liev Schreiber will use his gruff vocals to bring Fisher to life on screen.
You can check out the first trailer for Splinter Cell: Deathwatch below.
The footage finds Fisher underwater and contemplating his shady, violent past. “Once you get used to the shadows, you see bad people for who they really are. And they’ll never see you coming for them,” he says in the clip, revealing what Schreiber will sound like in the series. At present, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch is currently listed as “coming soon.”
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch is an animated adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, and has been developed by Ubisoft Film & Television and animation studios Sun Creature and Fost. The series is directed by Guillaume Dousse and Félicien Colmet-Daage, and finds John Wick’s Derek Kolstad on board as head writer. The executive producers for the series include Kolstad and Hélène Juguet, Hugo Revon, and Gérard Guillemot for Ubisoft.
Liev Schreiber continues his relationship with Netflix following the recent hit miniseries The Perfect Couple, which follows Eve Hewson as Amelia, who is about to marry into one of the wealthiest families on Nantucket…until a shocking death derails the wedding and turns everyone into a suspect.
Splinter Cell Fans React to Liev Schreiber as Sam Fisher
Splinter Cell fans have since taken to social media to react to the first footage from Splinter Cell: Deathwatch and the cast of Liev Schreiber as Sam Fisher. Some are hugely pleased with what they’ve seen and heard so far, with X user @OurMovieGuide saying, “Liev Schreiber is the perfect voice actor for this.” While fellow fan @JokinPhilosophy adds, “Wow, I did not know they were making this, sweet. Sam Fisher comin in. Hyper for it, and Liev Schreiber voicing him, oh I know its gonna be good!”
Others, however, were hoping for the return of Michael Ironside, who has voiced the character in the original games. “Missed opportunity to not have Michael Ironside voice Sam again,” says @UltimoLegend, with @MelonieMac declaring, “No Michael Ironside = no Sam Fisher.”
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell video game series first began back in 2002. Introducing players to Sam Fisher, the stealth game follows the black ops agent as he embarks on dangerous missions, often remain in the shadows and using night vision and thermal vision goggles to get things done. The series has been met with critical acclaim and has spawned several novels over the years. Based on this first trailer, do you think Netflix will do justice to the beloved series?