Jeff Goldblum Plays a Vengeful Zeus in the First Trailer for Kaos

Netflix has released a trailer for Kaos, its new series starring Jeff Goldblum as a vengeful Zeus growing increasingly paranoid on modern day Earth. Have a look:

Created by Charlie Covell (The End of the Fucking World), Kaos concerns Zeus discovering a new wrinkle on his forehead, which he interprets as a sign of the coming apocalypse. Becoming increasingly paranoid, Zeus sets his sights on three mortals he believes are connected to an ancient prophecy predicting the end of his reign on Earth. An ouroboros of paranoia then forms as additional signs and portents lead each of the prophesied humans to believe they, too, are being watched by the Greek pantheon who also plan on destroying them.

While the notion of depicting gods as Hawaiian shirt-wearing retirees is as least as old as a 2002 episode of The X-Files (specifically “Improbable,” in which Burt Reynolds appears as God), the trailer has a unique tone. Though it pitches itself as a comedy of manners, the trailer itself is full of remarkably grim imagery, including the blood-dripping remains of seven people hanging from a wall, a chained woman drowning in a transparent swimming pool, and a severed tongue handily stored in a dresser. The effect makes it feel like a cross between American Gods and Utopia, which is a novel pairing indeed. 

If nothing else, the cast is stacked, with Janet McTeer as Hera, Cliff Curtis as Poseidon, David Thewlis as Hades, Killian Scott as Orpheus, Debi Mazar as Medusa, Nabhaan Rizwan as Dionysus, and Fady Elsayed as Glaucus. We also have Westworld‘s Aurora Perrineau—heavily featured in the trailer here—as one of the three humans who decide to take arms against the gods. Billie Piper and Eddie Izzard are also said to be making cameos, so that’s also fun.

We’ll see how it all unfolds when Kaos premieres August 29 on Netflix.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.