Golden Axe Animated Series Trailer Sets September 16 Paramount+ Debut
The move from Comedy Central to Paramount+ places the series directly on the streaming platform where Sega's other game adaptations, like Sonic, have found their audience, and the involvement of Sonic movie producer Toru Nakahara suggests a similar cross-media strategy.
Key Facts
- The Golden Axe animated series premieres on Paramount+ on September 16.
- The series has 10 episodes and is produced by Titmouse, with Mike McMahan and Joe Chandler as co-creators.
- The voice cast includes Matthew Rhys as Gilius Thunderhead, Danny Pudi as Hampton Squib, Lisa Gilroy as Tyris Flare, Liam McIntyre as Ax Battler, and Carl Tart as Chronos "Evil" Lait.
- Sega announced a new Golden Axe video game entry at The Game Awards on December 7, 2023.
- The original Golden Axe arcade game was released in 1989.
Reporting from 3 sources: Anime News Network, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Paramount+ released the official trailer for the animated series based on Sega's Golden Axe video game on Thursday, confirming a September 16 premiere on the streaming service. The series was previously slated for Comedy Central, but will now debut on Paramount+ instead. The 10-episode show is produced by Titmouse, with Mike McMahan and Joe Chandler serving as co-creators and executive producers. The story follows legendary warriors Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead as they reunite to save the land of Yuria from the evil giant Death Adder, whose return complicates their quest. They are joined by Hampton Squib, an inexperienced adventurer whose heroic ambitions outpace his abilities. The cast includes Matthew Rhys as Gilius Thunderhead, Danny Pudi as Hampton Squib, Lisa Gilroy as Tyris Flare, Liam McIntyre as Ax Battler, and Carl Tart as Chronos "Evil" Lait. 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. The original Golden Axe arcade game launched in 1989, and Sega announced a new game entry in the series in December 2023.
- Mike McMahan (Star Trek: Lower Decks, Solar Opposites) and Joe Chandler co-create and executive produce the series.
- Additional executive producers include Titmouse's Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio, and Ben Kalina, plus Original Film's Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, and Toby Ascher.
- Paramount+ describes the plot as "an homage to SEGA's iconic 1989 video game," with Death Adder as a villain who "just won't seem to stay dead."
- The original Golden Axe is a side-scrolling beat-em-up arcade game, and the series is not the franchise's only stage adaptation: the game inspired a stage play in 2018.
- Game Spark notes the trailer presents the show as "comical and dynamic," with well-paced comedic moments alongside the action scenes, and says it is aimed at both game fans and newcomers unfamiliar with the original.
- A Japan release has not been decided; the September 16 premiere is for Paramount+ overseas.
- Sega announced the animated production in 2024, following the new game entry revealed at The Game Awards on December 7, 2023.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.