After finding box-office success with Sonic the Hedgehog in Paramount's live-action film franchise, the next logical step in Sega-sanctioned adaptations is obviously Golden Axe, the late '80s fantasy-themed beat-'em-up arcade game. The upcoming Golden Axe TV series looks surprisingly as silly as the Sonic franchise, based on the streaming show's first trailer, and designed to appeal to The Legend of Vox Machina fans.
On Thursday, Paramount Plus gave old-school Sega fans a peek at what to expect from its comedic take on Golden Axe. The animated series' first trailer is full of self-referential humor and bloody action, while also managing to pull some deep cuts: Golden Axe 3's humanoid black panther, Chronos "Evil" Lait, features prominently in the show's first trailer. More familiar faces like Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, Gilius Thunderhead, and Death Adder are also here.
(For the record, those "purple mutant thingies" are called Chicken Legs or Chicken Stingers.)
Here's Paramount's official description of its new Golden Axe show:
Golden Axe follows legendary warriors Ax Battler, Tyris Flare and Gilius Thunderhead as they reunite to save Yuria from the evil giant Death Adder, who just won’t seem to stay dead. Their quest is complicated by Hampton Squib, an inexperienced and wildly underprepared adventurer whose dream of heroism far exceeds his abilities. Forced to work together despite their flaws, they must find a way to stop Death Adder once and for all.
Golden Axe stars Matthew Rhys as Gilius Thunderhead, described as "a grumpy battle dwarf with exceptionally poor hygiene and a chip on his shoulder"; Lisa Gilroy as sorceress Tyris Flare; Liam McIntyre as barbarian warrior Ax Battler; and Carl Tart as Chronos “Evil” Lait, an "uncomfortably cheesy humanoid panther." New to Golden Axe lore is a character played by Community's Danny Pudi named Hampton Squib, described as "a naive, inexperienced first time adventurer who has dreamt of questing his entire life."
Golden Axe premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 16 exclusively on Paramount Plus. All 10 episodes of the animated series will drop at once.