Paramount+ has released the first trailer for its animated Golden Axe series, and all ten episodes land September 16. The show is an adult animated comedy built on Sega’s 1989 arcade beat ’em up, co-created by Mike McMahan of Star Trek: Lower Decks and Solar Opposites and Joe Chandler of American Dad!, who also serves as showrunner. The trailer debuted through Entertainment Weekly on August 20.
The Setup
The series follows legendary warriors Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead as they reunite to save the land of Yuria from Death Adder, the evil giant who refuses to stay dead. Complicating the job is Hampton Squib, an inexperienced and badly underprepared adventurer whose dreams of heroism run well ahead of his ability. The four of them have to figure out how to work together long enough to put Death Adder down permanently.
Hampton is new to the franchise. The show also pulls from the third game, mixing characters from the first and third entries alongside the original creation.
The Cast
Matthew Rhys voices Gilius Thunderhead, described as a grumpy battle dwarf with terrible hygiene and a chip on his shoulder. Liam McIntyre plays barbarian warrior Ax Battler, written with a strict code of honor and a golden retriever demeanor. Lisa Gilroy is Tyris Flare, deadly in a fight and deadlier with her wit. Danny Pudi voices Hampton Squib, and Carl Tart plays Chronos “Evil” Lait. Chronos originates in Golden Axe III and is billed in press materials as a humanoid panther.
The Trailer Knows It’s a Video Game
The comedy leans hard into the source material. In one exchange, Gilius insists the team needs an actual plan to beat Death Adder, and Tyris responds that they will do what they always do, which is face a series of progressively harder enemies until the big final battle. Another character yells at a large enemy, demanding to know whether it is another mini-boss or the real thing. There is also a nod to the character select screen, and the heroes at one point thank Paramount for the series itself.
The look is worth calling out. The art direction pulls from late 70s and 80s animated fantasy, with reference points like Ralph Bakshi’s Fire and Ice, Don Bluth’s The Secret of NIMH, and the Rankin/Bass version of The Hobbit. The color palette in particular reads like Saturday morning fantasy animation, closer to the old Zelda cartoon or Masters of the Universe than anything modern streaming animation usually goes for.
Behind the Camera
Titmouse handles the animation. CBS Studios’ CBS Eye Animation Productions produces alongside Sony Pictures Television and Original Film. Sega’s Haruki Satomi, Shuji Utsumi, and Toru Nakahara executive produce along with Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio, Ben Kalina, and Original Film’s Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, and Toby Ascher.
The project has moved since it was first announced. Comedy Central greenlit the ten-episode series back in April 2024, and Paramount has since taken over distribution.
Where the Franchise Stands
The original Golden Axe launched in arcades in January 1989 on Sega System 16B hardware, designed by Makoto Uchida, who had made Altered Beast the year before. Sequels followed in 1991, 1992, and 1993. The franchise has been mostly quiet since Golden Axe: Beast Rider in 2008. Sega announced an untitled new Golden Axe game at The Game Awards in December 2023.
This is Paramount+’s third video game adaptation, after the live-action Halo series that was canceled following two seasons and the live-action and animation hybrid Knuckles.
Golden Axe premieres September 16 on Paramount+, with all ten episodes available at launch.
Sources: Variety | Engadget | VGC | TheWrap | Anime News Network | TheSixthAxis | Dark Horizons | Time Extension
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