IGN can exclusively debut the opening credits sequence for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, the first-ever animated series based on the iconic games franchise. The show launches on Netflix on October 14.
The opening credits can be watched via the player embedded below.
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch draws from the lore established by Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell games and their canonical ancillary material to tell a new story about an older Sam Fisher (voiced by Liev Schreiber), who is living as a recluse in rural Eastern Europe when he’s pulled back into the black-ops trade.
An older, once-notorious badass now living a quiet life is a concept that Splinter Cell: Deathwatch showrunner Derek Kolstad is quite familiar with, having used it to great effect in his scripts for the original John Wick and 2021’s Nobody.
Kolstad acknowledged those parallels in IGN’s exclusive cover story (which debuted the show’s new trailer), but added that he “had the flexibility to go where I wanted to go with (Sam). And it’s been done before in Old Mad Logan, but in many respects, this is my Unforgiven.”
IGN can also exclusively reveal the titles for the season’s eight episodes: Episode One, “Up From the Grave”; Episode 2, “Dinner First, Talk Later”; Episode 3, “Welcome to the 4th Echelon”; Episode 4, “Scars of Bagram”; Episode 5, “Simple as That”; Episode 6, “The Man is The Mission”; and the final episodes are “Chaos Theory: Part One” and “Chaos Theory: Part Two”.
Yes, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch indeed revisits some of the events depicted in the 2005 game Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, with flashbacks recounting the close friendship and later tragic falling-out between Sam and his former comrade-in-arms, Douglas Shetland.
“Even though we have elements of that game referenced there, it’s hopefully small enough and the changes therein minute enough [that fans won’t be upset],” Kolstad said.
In addition to Liev Schreiber as Sam Fisher, the voice cast includes Kirby (The Sandman) as Zinnia McKenna, Janet Varney (The Legend of Korra) as Anna Grimsdottir, and Joel Oulette (Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series) as Thunder.
While Splinter Cell players know Anna Grimsdottir from the games as Sam’s tech officer from Fourth Echelon, McKenna and Thunder are new characters created specifically for Deathwatch.
Look for more coverage of Splinter Cell: Deathwatch in the coming weeks, including an appearance on next month’s IGN Fan Fest.
