Reddit AMA Recap: Golden Axe
Recently, during a Reddit AMA, Mike McMahan, Joe Chandler, and Giancarlo Volpe, co-creators, showrunner, and supervising producer/director of “Golden Axe” on Paramount+, answered questions about bringing Sega’s classic Genesis franchise to animation, their inspirations, the show’s development, casting, animation, their previous projects, “Lower Decks,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Green Lantern: The Animated Series,” and how they approached balancing fantasy, action, violence, and comedy in the world of Yuria.
How did you manage to get “Golden Axe” greenlit? Will Season 2 happen?
Mike: There was a lot of luck involved. The success of the “Sonic” movies helped, and Paramount and CBS had a great experience with “Lower Decks,” which helped create an opportunity to pitch “Golden Axe.” I’d love to take “Golden Axe” through Season 4, so hopefully we get the chance to keep going.
Joe: In five years we’ll be calling all the shots.
Did you have an episode of “Lower Decks” you really wanted to make but couldn’t?
Mike: Seasons 6–10. I also really wanted to do an entire “Voyager” season and a flashback episode about Billups growing up.
Could we please get more “Lower Decks” or some kind of continuation?
Mike: I’d absolutely come back and do more “Lower Decks.” If fans want it to continue, I think it’s worth making some noise and letting Paramount know.
Where do you see the animation industry in 5+ years?
Giancarlo: AI replacing artists is definitely something I worry about, but I’m also optimistic about where animation can go. There are so many independent artists making incredible things with small teams, and animation continues to be a huge part of major films. I just hope studios continue investing in animation and the artists who make it.
What was your professional journey like, going from entering the animation industry to eventually becoming a showrunner, director, or producer?
Joe: My path was pretty twisty. I went from intern to assistant to executive to writer and eventually showrunner. Making a show is incredibly collaborative, so you have to learn how to help people and work with talented artists rather than thinking you have to do everything yourself.
Mike: Be specific about what you want to make, make things whenever you can, and be someone people enjoy working with. Also, help the people around you. You’ll get much further if you’re lifting other people instead of just worrying about yourself.
Giancarlo: I started as a character animator working on games like “Putt-Putt Enters the Race” and “Pajama Sam,” then moved into storyboarding and directing. My biggest advice is to study the job one step above the position you’re currently in. If you’re an animator, study storyboards. If you’re a storyboard artist, study directing. Keep learning what the people above you are doing.
What were your favorite Sega video games?
Joe: “Arch Rivals.” It’s basketball with punching.
Mike: It depended on when you asked me. When I was nine, it was “Golden Axe.” In high school it was “Sonic,” and then in college I was playing a ton of Dreamcast games like “Virtua Tennis,” “Soulcalibur,” “Crazy Taxi,” and “Super Monkey Ball.”
Giancarlo: I never owned a Sega console. I played “Golden Axe” in arcades and “Altered Beast” on one of those demo consoles at Sears while my mom was shopping. I also played “Phantasy Star,” “Power Stone,” and “Virtua Fighter” with friends.
Will there be Axes or other weapons of different magical elements?
Mike: Silver Axe. Barium Axe. Oxygen Axe. Neptunium Axe. We could keep going. Since they’re ancient people, they probably wouldn’t know what the elements are called anyway. Oxygen could just be “good air.” Also, a Silver Axe would be pretty sexy.
Joe: Steel Axe is probably the one that actually makes the most sense. Ax Battler would probably appreciate that.
What Sega game series would you be interested in tackling in the future?
Mike: I’d love to do a really dirty “Super Monkey Ball,” a dramatic “Ecco the Dolphin,” and a romantic “House of the Dead.”
Joe: “Arch Rivals” and “ToeJam & Earl” would be fun.
Giancarlo: I’d love to do “Power Stone” or “Streets of Rage 4.”
How is working with Sega? How protective were they of the IP, and was there any push to include other Sega characters?
Joe: Working with Sega has been a dream. They’ve been great stewards of the “Golden Axe” lore, and we wanted to make a “Golden Axe” show rather than turn it into a giant Sega crossover. There are definitely some nods to the larger Sega universe, though.
Why didn’t we just get a serious animation out of “Golden Axe”? Was Sega pushing for this comedic style?
Mike: The comedy was something I pushed for. I love combining genres, and I think fantasy and comedy work really well together. The original “Golden Axe” games already had funny stuff in them, too. You’re literally kicking little creatures around to get magic. That doesn’t mean we don’t take the world seriously. I just think the comedy makes the fantasy and action more fun.
Giancarlo: We wanted to make sure the art team could balance all of those elements. The show can have fantasy, action, violence, and comedy without one of those things completely overpowering the others.
What is your approach to boarding action/comedy?
Giancarlo: Some fights are meticulously planned, and some are much looser. I like to figure out what the emotional purpose of the fight is first, then break it down into beats and look for opportunities for comedy. “Golden Axe” gives us a lot of freedom because characters can literally get cut and bleed and then react to it in a completely understated way.
How does casting work for a show like “Golden Axe”?
Joe: We listened to a huge number of auditions and kept narrowing things down until we found the right people. For Gilius, Matthew Rhys really rose to the top. We heard him on Conan O’Brien’s podcast, and he had also recently played “Golden Axe” with his son, so he was excited about the role.
Mike: We heard hundreds of auditions. After you’ve heard the same scenes over and over, the right actor can suddenly make something feel funny again. We can also combine audio from different auditions to see how actors sound together before making a decision.
What is your favorite joke you came up with in “Lower Decks”?
Mike: One of my favorites was the final-season gag involving an alien attacker shooting Dr. T’Ana with a phaser.
What is it like working with Seth MacFarlane?
Joe: Seth is incredibly smart, funny, and prolific. He’s also an amazing voice actor. He can switch between characters and completely nail a joke, then immediately jump into another character.
Mike: God, I wish I knew.
What was it like starting at “Drawn Together”?
Mike: I started there as a PA, and it was a great place to begin. Mike Mendel, Matt Silverstein, and Dave Jeser were all incredibly funny and talented. I eventually got to work with some of my old bosses again when they became writers on “Solar Opposites.”
How close were we to getting a fourth season of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”?
Giancarlo: The original story was always designed around three seasons. That was the journey we were telling with Aang, so the main story was always meant to conclude after those three books.
What happened with “Green Lantern: The Animated Series” Season 2?
Giancarlo: We had a lot of ideas for Season 2. Hal was going to become a fugitive, John Stewart was going to pursue him, and Razer was going to become a Blue Lantern. There were also ideas involving Superman and multiple Ayas. I’d absolutely love to go back to that show, and I know a lot of the crew would love to return too.
How do you recommend networking and getting a foot in the door?
Mike: Write, make things, join online groups and classes, go to conventions and meet people who are interested in the same things you are. You don’t have to wait for someone to give you permission to start making things.
Joe: Being near a major studio isn’t as important as it used to be. There’s so much you can do online now, and there are a lot more ways to connect with people without physically being in the same city.
What do you think about the world of indie animation?
Giancarlo: I’m optimistic about it. There are a lot of artists making incredible work independently, and smaller teams can do things now that would’ve required a much larger production in the past. Obviously there are serious problems in the industry, but that’s one area that gives me hope.
What happened to Volcano Larry?
Joe: If you believe hard enough, maybe you can save Larry. And you can always help by streaming “Golden Axe.”
Mike: You guys just didn’t clap hard enough while Larry was dying.
And finally, what advice would you give someone trying to get a show made for the first time?
Joe: Learn as much as you can, help people, embrace the collaborative process, and surround yourself with talented people. You don’t have to know everything yourself. You just need to be willing to learn and work hard.
Mike: Make things people haven’t seen before. Make characters that feel genuine and fun. Learn from the shows you love, but put your own spin on them. Most importantly, keep making things and don’t stop.
Catch “Golden Axe” streaming on Paramount+!
