A live-action adaptation of PlayStation’s hit video game franchise “God of War” has been ordered to series at Amazon’s Prime Video, with “Wheel of Time” boss Rafe Judkins set as showrunner.
Based on the massively popular 2018 video game, the show follows Kratos, the God of War, who, after exiling himself from his blood-soaked past in ancient Greece, hangs up his weapons forever in the Norse realm of Midgard, per Amazon’s description. When his beloved wife dies, Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son Atreus to spread her ashes from the highest peak — his wife’s final wish. Kratos soon realizes the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one which will test the bonds between father and son, and force Kratos to battle new gods and monsters for the fate of the world.
Cory Barlog, the director of God of War 2018 and creative director for Ragnarök, is one of the new show’s executive producers. He teased his involvement in a cryptic tweet on Wednesday, saying that “it will be a while” until we see more about it.
First released in 2005, God of War has won critical praise for nearly all of its iterations. The 2018 release for the PlayStation 4 also won numerous awards, including the Game of the Year at the Game Awards. The most recent game in the series, God of War Ragnarok, debuted in November.
“We are so proud and excited to be working with our friends at Amazon Studios and our partners at PlayStation Productions to adapt this beautiful and heartbreaking game into a premium live-action series,” said Sony Pictures TV president Katherine Pope. “Rafe, Mark, and Hawk are crafting a transportive series that charts a path through the ancient mythological journey of Kratos.”
Added PlayStation Productions head Asad Qizilbash, “God of War is one of PlayStation’s most awarded video games, so we’re excited to partner with Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios to bring our beloved franchise to fans and new audiences in a bold and authentic way.”
According to Prime Video, the live-action series will draw inspiration from Santa Monica Studios’ 2018 franchise reboot and will follow Kratos, who, in a bid to escape his gory old life in ancient Greece, ventures to the Norse realm of Midgard. Similar to the first game’s story, the show will depict the tale of Kratos, who travels with his son to the highest peak in the Nine Realms to perform his wife’s dying wish.
Cast & Crew
While no cast has been officially announced by the producers, Deadline has confirmed that the co-creators of The Expanse, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, are currently attached to the project, as well as The Wheel of Time’s showrunner, Rafe Judkins. Cory Barlog will also serve as executive producer.
Given the attachment of game director Cory Barlog to the project, it’s also worth pointing out that Kratos’ in-game actor Christopher Judge has made it clear he’d be keen to be involved.
Stay tuned to Fantacytube for future updates on the upcoming God of War live-action series at Prime Video.
