Indeed, times have changed the barbarian/fantasy action saga, and in the interests of meeting comedy where it lives today, a new Golden Axe animated series has been announced for Paramount+. Judging by the trailer below, it seems to sit at the nexus of Vox Machina, Disenchantment, and maybe that new He-Man movie, which also amiably poked its subgenre trappings in the ribs. Golden Axe ’26 looks to be a self-aware, winking ode to the hack-and-slasher designed by Makoto Uchida and developed by Sega, ostensibly nailing the game’s visuals while injecting its characters with the inevitable “well, that just happened” style of humor that humanity can’t seem to shake off its collective back.
Filling out the ranks of this new Golden Axe, like an especially ornery D&D campaign, are Matthew Rhys as Gilius Thunderhead, described in Paramount’s announcement as “a grumpy battle dwarf with exceptionally poor hygiene and a chip on his shoulder”; Danny Pudi as the entirely new and apparently hapless Hampton Squib, a “naive, inexperienced first-time adventurer”; Lisa Gilroy as the battle sorceress Tyris Flare (“deadly” with her wit, we’re told); video game Wolverine Liam McIntyre as Ax Battler (described as having a “sweet golden retriever demeanor”); and Carl Tart as Chronos “Evil” Lait, the crew’s “cheesy” humanoid panther.
All ten episodes of Golden Axe, created by Mike McMahan (Star Trek: Lower Decks) and Joe Chandler (American Dad!), drop on Paramount+ on September 16. You can watch the teaser below.
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