“A line appears, the order wanes, the family falls and chaos reigns...”
A couple of brief teasers aside, Netflix hasn't really been promoting KAOS, but the streamer has finally released a proper trailer for the contemporary Greek mythology drama, which stars Jeff Goldblum (The Fly, Jurassic World: Dominion) as the all-powerful King of the Gods, Zeus.
From the writer of The End of the F*cking World and the producers of Chernobyl, the 8-episode series revolves around three humans and a demigod as they discover their connection to each other and to a long-standing ancient prophecy while being forced to contend with the corrupt and arrogant gods of Greek mythology.
The footage introduces Goldblum's stylish take on Zeus, who lives in the lap of luxury while demanding that mortals worship him. It seems his power is diminished when humans stop fearing the gods, and Zeus sets out to do something about it.
Zeus' plan involves unleashing the might of Olympus on Earth to bring mankind back in line, but he is unaware of a plot to take him down, spearheaded by his old friend Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) and a group of humans who have no idea where their destinies lie.
Of course, Goldblum has some experience playing God-like beings after making his MCU-debut as the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarök - although this character is quite a bit more malevolent.
Described as "a darkly comedic and contemporary reimagining of Greek mythology, exploring themes of gender politics, power, and life in the underworld," the show also stars Janet McTeer as Hera, David Thewlis as Hades, Cliff Curtis as Poseidon, Killian Scott as Orpheus, Aurora Perrineau as a mortal named Riddy, Misia Butler as Caneus, Leila Farzad as Ari, Nabhaan Rizwan as Dionysus, and Debi Mazar as Medusa.
Hugh Grant (Paddington 2, Wonka) was set to play Zeus before a scheduling conflict forced him to drop out. Billie Piper will also make a cameo appearance as the Trojan prophet, Cassandra.
Check out the new trailer below, along with our reaction (don't miss this show)!
We also have a more detailed synopsis if you'd like a better idea of what to expect.
"Zeus, once reliable brother, Hades, God of the Underworld, is secretly losing his grip on his dark dominion. There is a backlog of dead waiting to be processed and they are growing restless. Hera, Queen of the Gods, exercises dominion on Earth — and over Zeus — in her own unique way. But her power and freedom become threatened by Zeus’ growing paranoia, and she is forced to act, while Zeus’ rebellious son, Dionysus, is out of control and on course for a cosmic collision with his father.
On Earth, people are aching for change. However, Poseidon, God of Sea, Storms and Earthquakes—and Horses—is more concerned with the size of his super-yacht and where the next party is at. The well-being of mere mortals is of little interest to him. Unfortunately for the Gods, some of those mortals are beginning to realize this…These mortals – Riddy, Orpheus, Caneus and Ari – come from different walks of life and are all cosmically connected in the battle against Zeus. Each one has a very different role to play, and any one of them may be destined to bring down the God."
All episodes of KAOS will be available to stream from August 29.