Michael Bay's First Netflix Show Will Star Patrick Stewart As A Demonic Talking Axe

Calling all Baytriots! Bro King and director Michael Bay may finally be turning his gaze from the big screen to the small screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bay is in talks to direct "an acerbic fantasy series" entitled "Barbaric" for Netflix, which is based on the Vault Comics series of the same name.

"Barbaric" is due to star Sam Claflin (from "The Hunger Games" and most recently "Daisy Jones and the Six") and Patrick Stewart (Professor X and Captain Picard himself), with Sheldon Turner of "X-Men: First Class" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" acting as writer and executive producer of the series.

That last credit, of course, is how Turner met Bay in the latter's capacity as producer and founder of the Platinum Dunes production company, which began in 2003 with the company's remake of the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." While Platinum Dunes has overseen several television projects before (which include the series "Black Sails," "The Last Ship" and the TV spinoff of the popular Platinum Dunes film franchise "The Purge"), "Barbaric" is the first television project to catch Bay's eye as a director. Why? Just check out this premise: the series will concern Owen, a "barbarian looking for redemption" (to be played by Claflin) and his talking demonic axe, which will be voiced by Stewart. Can you see the Bayhem that lies ahead?

Even though Bay hasn't made a feature film since 2022's generally well-received "Ambulance," he's not necessarily been lying around biding his time. In addition to turning up on screen in the latest "Bad Boys," he's also been working with Vault Comics on devising a new media universe created by none other than musician Post Malone. It seems that, for now, "Barbaric" will hit screens before the MaloneVerse gets underway.

The question remains, however, just how much of "Barbaric" will Bay direct himself, and what in the world will the series look like? While Platinum Dunes may be old pros at producing television at this point, Bay is staunchly uncompromising in terms of achieving his vision as a filmmaker, a method begun on his very first movie, "Bad Boys," where he went as far as spending his own money just to achieve one particular key shot.

If Bay is indeed interested and able to bring his brand of Bayhem to "Barbaric," it could end up being one of the most action-packed and exciting streaming series ever made. If he's only around for the first episode or two, as tends to happen with so many prestige series begun by auteur filmmakers, there may be a huge drop in excitement over the episodes, unless Bay manages to hire some other directors who can keep up with him.

For fans of the still-ongoing "Barbaric" comic, there's a wealth of stories to draw from, and it's not yet clear whether the series will use the comic as mere inspiration for a new story or if it'll be a direct adaptation. Stay tuned for more, and stay vigilant, Bayheads.