God of Waris coming to the small screen. It was only a matter of time, given the fact that the franchise remains one of the most popular names in the medium. Video game adaptations have been gradually increasing in quality, raising the cultural profile of the genre. Now that works likeFalloutandThe Last of Ushave convinced everyone that video game shows aren’t all garbage, something likeGod of Warcan draw positive attention. The upcomingGod of Warshow will likely center itself on the modern, bearded, stoic father figure Kratos. That part of the story would be a bit incomplete without the angry, bitter, brooding maniac Kratos.
Sony is going hard when it comes to video game adaptations. They’re spread across multiple streamers and mediums to deliver on-screen versions of a lot of their iconic IPs. They broughtTom Holland intoUnchartedand Anthony Mackie intoTwisted Metal. They’ve got a hotly anticipatedGhost of Tsushimamovie coming to the screen with thedirector ofJohn Wickattached. They certainly haven’t all been success stories, but aside from making costumes forAstro Bot, Sony appears to be looking for any outlet for their beloved characters.
Amazon is making aGod of Warseries
Amazon Prime VideoorderedGod of Warto seriesway back in 2022. The show does not have a release date or almost any attached crew members. The show’s history has been a bit messy so far. Amazon won a bidding war for the project in 2022, bringing in executive producers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby and showrunner Rafe Judkins. Fergus and Ostby are celebrated screenwriters, best known for writing the 2006 classicChildren of Menand a considerable chunk ofIron Man. They also created and producedThe Expansefor Amazon Prime. Judkins cut his teeth onChuckandAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.before developing, writing, and producingThe Wheel of Timefor Amazon Prime. Fergus, Ostby, and Judkins all left the project in October 2024, despite having written several scripts for the series. A week later, Ronald D. Moore stepped into the showrunner role that Judkins left empty. Moore wrote on threeStar Trekshows, createdOutlander, and most recently developed Apple TV’sFor All Mankind. This shift strongly implies that thework completed on the show over the last two yearswill be discarded, leaving the show to start over with an uncertain fate.
TheGod of Warshow will adapt the recent games
The list of things fans know about theupcomingGod of Warshowis very short, but the biggest thing on it is the well-publicized premise, which appears in almost every article on the subject. The show, according to Amazon, has the following pitch:
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.
This is the plot ofGod of War(2018), ensuring a full live-action adaptation of the franchise’s reboot rather than the original PS2 series. A slightly longer description mentions Kratos “exiling himself from his blood-soaked past in Ancient Greece.“The first three gameswere groundbreaking when they came out, but the two new entries are widely considered new heights in the world of interactive narrative. Still, it would be a disservice to new fans to explore the new series without some elements of the old one.
TheGod of Warseries can explore the first games through flashbacks
One of the interesting thingsaboutGod of War(2018)is the massive changes that Kratos has experienced since the original games. He’s a different man. He’s quiet, stoic, and emotionally stunted. He wants to reach out to his son and mourn his wife, but he lacks the depth to do so. The original Kratos didn’t worry much about teaching lessons, and the only emotion he bothered expressing was unrestrained rage. The massive chasm between the two versions of Kratos is a critical element of the story. Those who’ve seen the modern iteration without experiencing the original are missing half of the story. This is where flashbacks come in. Imagine the actor portraying the modern Kratos slipping back into the original version of the character. Imagine one episode that finally addresses why Kratos had to leave his old life behind. Sure, people know the story, but this show has to stand on its own.Adapting a distant sequelwithout the setup will always feel a bit off. The show has to take the proper steps to fill in those gaps.
Kratos is an interesting character because he’s one of the few video game icons who’ve been around long enough to develop and change between his various stories. Figures like Sonic andMario may be olderthan Kratos, but nearly every new adventure comes with a complete rewrite. TheGod of Warfranchise presents a near-full picture of their protagonist, following him throughout the majority of his major life events. Amazon’s take on the material should give fans the same experience.
