Why is Asterix & Obelix still so popular? Alain Chabat: "They are loud, they're French, they're dirty..."

In the coming days, fans of Asterix & Obelix will be able to flock to Netflix to watch a brand-new series featuring the indomitable Gauls. The limited animated project known as Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight will be debuting on April 30, and ahead of that happening, we had the chance to sit down and speak with creator Alain Chabat and co-director Fabrice Joubert.

In the full interview that you can see below with localised subtitles, we asked Chabat about if there were any challenges or expectations from Netflix to gear the show to a global audience and perhaps lose some of its authentic French heritage?

Chabat replied, "I have to say that I met Ted Sarandos from Netflix, and he said, don't worry about this, do exactly what you have in mind, we want to see your vision, and don't think about being accessible to every territory, just do your vision the best you want, tell the story the way you want."

Following this, we also posed the question about why the pair think Asterix & Obelix is still so popular, despite the stories being over 60-years-old.

Chabat said, "I don't know, they're so... I don't know, they don't have discipline, they are loud, they're French, they're dirty..."

Joubert continues, "they're not organized, but at the same time, they're able to work together for a good cause, and so, all those traits are really, I think, what makes them appealing, and people can really identify with them."

Later in the interview, we inquired about what's next for Asterix & Obelix, suggesting that following an animated project and Chabat's live-action effort with Mission Cleopatra back in 2002, the natural next step could be a hybrid effort like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Chabat stated, "I'm going to steal this idea immediately and I'm going to get all the credit. That would be cool, actually. No, there's no specific project, really. We just... we finished, we wrapped the show like a month ago, so we're still in it."

If you haven't already, be sure to also read our full thoughts on Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight in our dedicated review.