France’s beloved comic book heroes Asterix and Obelix have their latest incarnation in a Netflix miniseries that could win over new fans, notably in the United States and Asia.
The plucky Gauls, created by illustrator Albert Uderzo and writer René Goscinny in 1959, have a vast following thanks to the original comic books that have sold around 400 million copies.
A series of big-budget French films – the latest took them to China in Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, in 2023 – has also helped expand their reach.
However, warrior Asterix and his powerful but dim-witted sidekick Obelix are yet to win over viewers in the United States and Britain, which have their own comic-book and animated hero characters from Marvel, Disney and other stables.
“Often unfortunately in these markets, the Asterix films tend to be released in art house cinemas,” said Céleste Surugue, head of the Editions Albert René publishing company that owns the rights to the original comics.