Now that the original God of War games are officially getting a remake, the timing of Amazon’s TV adaptation seems better than ever. After the blockbuster success of The Last of Us on HBO, PlayStation is turning another one of its iconic franchises into a live-action streaming series. God of War is the perfect follow-up, because it’s a similarly mythic, literary, emotionally engaging saga that feels bigger than the medium of gaming.
Set to premiere on Prime Video, the God of War TV show will begin in the series’ Norse era and adapt the plot of the 2018 game. Ronald D. Moore, creator of the 2000s reimagining of Battlestar Galactica, will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer on the series, so it’s in very safe hands.
Ryan Hurst, who previously played Thor in God of War Ragnarök, has been cast as Kratos. Poker Face’s Callum Vinson will play Kratos’ son Atreus and Homeland’s Mandy Patinkin will play Odin. The God of War games have been around for more than two decades now, so it’s about time we finally got a live-action adaptation — but now, the timing is perfect.
God Of War Greek Trilogy Remake Increases The Hype For The Show
During Sony’s State of Play presentation this year, we were promised two new God of War releases. Sons of Sparta, a 2D Metroidvania action platformer serving as a prequel to the entire franchise, was not only announced at State of Play, but even released for the PS5 on the same day.
Sony also announced God of War Trilogy Remake, which will bundle together remakes of the first three games: 2005’s God of War, 2007’s God of War II, and 2010’s God of War III. This remake will surely spark feelings of nostalgia in fans who remember playing those old games, and also bring in new fans who never got to play that O.G. trilogy.
Either way, it will undoubtedly drive up the hype for Amazon’s TV show. Long-time fans will be reminded why they love this franchise (and the character of Kratos) so much, and new fans will be excited to see a TV version of these rediscovered classics.
But it’s important to note that Prime Video’s God of War show isn’t adapting those early games. That original trilogy comprises the franchise’s Greek era, full of Greek gods and mythological figures. With the 2018 game that the TV show is drawing from, the God of War series moved into its Norse era and introduced Norse characters like Odin, Thor, and Heimdall.
Why Amazon’s God Of War Is Going Straight To The Norse Era
So, why is Amazon’s God of War show jumping straight into the modern Norse era instead of starting with the classic Greek era? From a business perspective, it’s probably because the Norse-era games are more familiar to modern gamers than the Greek-era games. 2018’s God of War and its 2022 sequel, Ragnarök, have been some of the biggest hits in recent memory.
But from an artistic standpoint, it also makes sense to start with the Norse era. The storytelling in those recent games is much stronger than the earlier games. The original trilogy was great, but its narrative was very video-gamey. The player traverses various ancient temples, gets into various tricky boss battles, and levels up.
The Norse-era games have much more complex, emotionally rich storylines involving grief and fatherhood and the universal notion that every action has consequences. They’re much closer to the riveting, almost literary storytelling of games like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption.
Amazon’s God Of War Should Include Greek Era Flashbacks
While it’s a smart move to start with the Norse era, the God of War TV show shouldn’t abandon the Greek era entirely. That original trilogy went a long way toward shaping Kratos as a character. The reason his grizzled persona in the Norse-era games is so effective is because we saw how he became so jaded. We saw him full of vengeful rage in his younger days.
If Amazon doesn’t want to spend a whole season in the Greek era, setting up that disillusionment for the Norse era, then it should at least include a few flashbacks. The Greek-era games have their own visual style that would look incredible in live-action with modern CGI, and they include some key story events that explain why Kratos is the way he is.
I was a huge Battlestar Galactica fan in my youth, so I have a lot of faith in Moore as a creator and showrunner. I’m sure whatever he’s cooking up for God of War will turn out to be terrific television, and a satisfying adaptation. But it won’t be totally satisfying if it just sticks to the Norse era and disregards the Greek era entirely.
Sony successfully adapted The Last of Us for television, and Amazon successfully adapted Fallout for television, so this partnership will almost certainly yield another great video game show. God of War’s TV adaptation has been in development since way back in 2022, so it has a lot of anticipation to live up to.