Scarlett Johansson is stepping into reality television production with Assassins, a new competition series officially ordered by Peacock. Announced on October 13, 2026, the show is inspired by a popular elimination game played among high school and college students, where participants secretly track down assigned targets while avoiding elimination themselves.
The series marks Johansson’s first venture into producing reality television, adding another project to her expanding behind-the-camera career.
What Is Peacock’s Assassins About?
Assassins will feature contestants competing in a season-long game of strategy, deception and shifting alliances.
Each participant receives a specific target they must eliminate before the competition concludes. However, the twist is that every player is simultaneously being hunted by someone else.
Peacock’s official synopsis explains that “every hunter is also the hunted, and no one is ever safe.”
The concept comes from the real-world game Assassin, which is particularly popular among students. Participants typically use harmless objects such as water pistols, foam-dart blasters or markers to eliminate opponents.
However, Peacock has not revealed exactly how contestants will eliminate one another in its television adaptation.
Scarlett Johansson Joins the Reality TV Business
Johansson will executive produce Assassins alongside Brien Meagher and Rhett Bachner, co-founders of B17 Entertainment, a Sony Pictures Television company.
Although best known for playing Black Widow in Marvel films, Johansson has increasingly explored producing.
Her previous projects include Fly Me to the Moon and Eleanor the Great, alongside upcoming television adaptations of Just Cause and The Nanny Diaries.
Assassins represents a different creative direction because it is an unscripted competition rather than a scripted film or drama.
Could Assassins Become Peacock’s Next The Traitors?
The announcement follows Peacock’s success with The Traitors, the Emmy-winning competition hosted by Alan Cumming.
Both shows emphasise deception and social strategy, but their formats differ. The Traitors revolves around identifying hidden saboteurs, while Assassins gives every contestant a designated target.
Peacock has not announced a premiere date, host, contestant lineup or prize details.
For now, the biggest unanswered question is how producers will transform a game traditionally played across school campuses into a structured television competition.
