General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Nero (2025 TV series)

Néro (international title: Néro the Assassin) is a French historical adventure mini-series released on Netflix on October 8, 2025. Set in southern France in 1504, it follows Néro, a cynical and dangerous assassin who is betrayed by his master and must protect his daughter Perla, a 14-year-old who, together with her father, is believed to be among the last descendants of the Devil, the one destined to bring about the end of the world.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Format	Mini-series, 1 season, 8 episodes of roughly 50 minutes each¹^•³
Premiere	October 8, 2025, all episodes on Netflix²
Setting	Southern France, 1504, during a period of drought and social tension¹^•⁴
Creators	Allan Mauduit, Jean-Patrick Benes, and Martin Douaire; IMDb also credits Nicolas Digard¹^•⁵
Lead cast	Pio Marmaï (Néro), Alice Isaaz (Hortense), Olivier Gourmet (Horace), Louis-Do de Lencquesaing (Rochemort), Lili-Rose Carlier Taboury (Perla)²
Reception	IMDb 6.8/10 from about 4,500 users; AlloCiné press score 3.8/5, viewer score 3.6/5⁵^•¹
Status	To be determined; no second season announced²

Spoilers

Premise

The story opens in 1504 in the south of France, where drought and social tensions have given rise to conflict. Néro, a formidable and cynical assassin, is betrayed by his own master and long-time ally and becomes the target of powerful enemies.²^•⁴ Having just learned of her existence, he must find and protect Perla, the daughter he abandoned at birth and who has grown up as an orphan.⁶^•⁷

The supernatural element enters through La Borgne, a one-eyed sorceress convinced that Néro and the girl are the last descendants of the Devil, and through the prophecy that Perla will bring about the end of the world.⁷^•¹ Father and daughter flee toward the city of Ségur, pursued by the killers of the nobleman Rochemort, and the journey becomes a choice between vengeance and redemption: Néro must decide whether to save his own skin or his daughter, and perhaps the world.²^•⁷ As they travel, Perla tries to learn from her father so that she can become a ruthless assassin herself.⁸

Cast and characters

Pio Marmaï, previously seen as Porthos in the two-part The Three Musketeers film adaptation, plays the title role.⁴^•⁸ The principal cast is:

Pio Marmaï as Néro
Lili-Rose Carlier Taboury as Perla
Alice Isaaz as Hortense
Olivier Gourmet as Horace
Louis-Do de Lencquesaing as Rochemort
Yann Gael as Lothar
Camille Razat as La Borgne²^•⁹

The supporting cast includes David Talbot as the Archbishop, Sandra Parfait as Zineb, Scali Delpeyrat as the chancellor, and Max Baissette de Malglaive as the prince.⁵

Episodes

All eight episodes were released on Netflix on October 8, 2025.¹² The season runs from "L'assassin" (The Assassin), in which Néro's unscrupulous employer betrays him in favor of a mysterious sorceress and he sets out to find Perla, through "La sorcière" (The Witch), "La princesse" (The Princess), "L'inquisiteur" (The Inquisitor), "Le truand" (The Crook), "Le moine" (The Monk), and "L'archevêque" (The Archbishop), to the finale "La gamine" (The Girl), in which the group hides in maze-like slums while Perla contemplates her role in the prophecy and Néro devises a last-ditch plan to keep her safe.⁶^•²^•¹³

Production

The series was created by Allan Mauduit, Jean-Patrick Benes, and Martin Douaire, with Mauduit and Ludovic Colbeau-Justin directing; IMDb lists Nicolas Digard among the creators as well.⁷^•⁵ The landscapes seen throughout the series were recreated in southern France and in Spain.⁴

Post-production. MPC Paris served as overall VFX supervisor, partial VFX producer, and lead picture post-production facility. VFX supervisor Arnaud Fouquet guided the visual effects through five months of shooting plus extended pre-production in France and Spain. MPC delivered 238 VFX shots, and the series totals 832 VFX shots made with the French partner studios Digital District and Cousin Bizarre; more than 80 MPC artists contributed to building the city of Ségur, while partner studios handled the city of Lamartine, CG weapons, blood effects, and fight choreography enhancements. MPC also managed editing and final color grading across all eight episodes.¹⁰

Cinematography and color. The eight episodes were shot by two directors of photography, Romain Lacourbas for the first four and Vincent Gallo for the last four. Color scientist Florine Bel of MPC worked with the cinematographers and colorist Magali Léonard, who graded all eight episodes, to define a look of strong contrast and rich but contained colors that respected the costumes and set design.¹¹

Reception

On IMDb the series holds a 6.8/10 rating from about 4,500 users.⁵ AlloCiné reports a press score of 3.8 out of 5 from 11 reviews and a viewer score of 3.6 from 941 ratings.¹ French viewer reviews on AlloCiné praised Marmaï's performance, the pacing, and the sets and landscapes, with several comparing the tone to a blend of adventure, western, and fantasy-horror.¹ Netflix had positioned the series as part of its 2025 French slate, describing it as a "Monte Cristo"-style revenge story set in 1504.¹⁴

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026