Last week, it was made official that Sony's enduringly popular God of War series will be adapted for TV. Amazon Prime Video ordered the live-action series, and while it's still early days, there's some solid talent on board already. Perhaps more importantly, the people involved are saying the right things.
Amazon Studios' head of television, Vernon Sanders, was asked by Collider about the show, and what was so appealing about the games. Sanders points out the company's history with adaptations such as Invincible and The Boys, but explains they're on the lookout for meaningful narratives: "...the thing that we're always looking for is whether there is a real emotional core, if there's a real narrative story, and I think [thatโs] part of what makes God of War so special," he says.
"At the center of it all is this story of fathers and sons, and families, set against this giant epic landscape," he continues. Sanders describes the work of writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, as well as showrunner Rafe Judkins, "incredibly true to the source material, and also compelling on its own".
The show is set to follow the footsteps of 2018's God of War, exploring the story of Kratos and Atreus in the realm of Norse mythology. The director of that game, Cory Barlog, is on board as an executive producer, so there's at least some representation from Santa Monica Studio.
It all sounds good to us โ let's hope it can live up to the games. Are you excited to see the God of War TV show? Tell us in the comments section below.
[source collider.com]
Comments 62
Does that mean we get 3 seasons worth of toxic masculinity before we get to the good stuff?
@nessisonett Probably means the characters will look nothing like the game.
@PlayStationGamer3919 Rings of Power is brilliant.
@tselliot Well Kratos was mo-capped and voiced by black actors so idk, I sincerely doubt that theyโd cast a white dude in that role.
A loooooooooong history of video games adapted to movies & TV says this is almost assuredly going to suck. Honestly, Iโve NEVER seen a good one although, The Last Of Us on HBO gives me hope.
"The show is set to follow the footsteps of 2018's God of War"
Making a show about 2018 "God of War" is like making a show about "Iron Man 3" but not making a show about Iron Man or Iron Man 2. Nobody cares about Tony Stark w/o the first movie.
There are some good things about GoW '18 but it's a slog compared to the first 3 games. Sure, it seems really good after Awakening, but it's not 1, 2 or 3.
Sure I'll watch it, but I don't think viewers unfamiliar w/ the early games will like Kratos at all. He's not the GOD OF WAR w/o the original old games, he's just an old man who says "Boy" a lot. ๐คทโโ๏ธ
@PlayStationGamer3919 that may be your opinion, but lot's of people actually liked the show as well, as did I, though I preferred wheel of time on Amazon.
@nessisonett oh please, Norse kratos wouldn't have the same emotional impact without knowing of his unrefined Greek days.
Forgive me if I don't believe them.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen, my Kratos pick
@PlayStationGamer3919 You are welcome to that opinion but I'm certainly glad I don't share it. Calling it an "disaster" also seems hyperbolic to me. It's like those that considers The Last of Us Part II a terrible game because of the fate of you know who. There's so much else to enjoy and admire about such games or TV shows beyond a single aspect.
@LivewireCLS
I loved it but itโs a common opinion that it doesnโt make much sense and doesnโt stay true to the source material. Iโve never read the silmarillion and overlooked some of the flaws and loved it but many didnโt.
@DETfaninATL
Watch Arcane Castlevania and Edgerunners. Those are great and work regardless of enjoying the source.
Giant missed oportunity to not start at the beginning. It's a no from me.
Press "X" for doubt.
@PlayStationGamer3919 actually that show was good and faithful. yall complain when stuff isnt but when it is yall still complain lol cant please you folks.
@DETfaninATL i loved sonic, warcraft, edgerunners, the witcher, uncharted. and arcane. maybe instead of following 99% of the world and hate cuz its popular to youll find theres actually good video game adaptations and even anime/comic adaptations too
Cory being on as Executive producer gives me a lot of hope. They need to get the casting right, but the show could be really good with Amazon's budget behind to create some of the amazing Norse set pieces.
I honestly just hope it turns out to be more faithful than the Halo tv series.
I'll write the script
"Boy" "Not now" "You're not ready" "Hmph!"
@rjejr I disagree completely. I found the first games super boring. The last two have been masterpieces.
@EaglyTheKawaiiShika Itโs an accidental character arc though. You canโt seriously claim that they planned the reboot with Sad Dad Kratos way back when they were making weird misogynistic power fantasies for the PS2. Shadow The Hedgehog is less edgy than those games.
@PlayStationGamer3919 Cory Barlog is attached to it though. He's not going to let them massacre the show.
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@FatalBubbles But the name of the show is "God of War" and GoW 2018 has really no god and no war.๐คท He fights some skinny guy 3 or 4 times and that's about the whole game. How does the name "God of War" represent that show?
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@FatalBubbles the first 3 games were superb but that 4th entry ascension? Gow 2018 and ragnarok were different games entirely but were equally as good and important to the continuation of kratos's story. I cant agree with you saying the first games were boring but thats your opinion..
@PlayStationGamer3919 On the other hand The Boys and Invincible are fantastic.
@rjejr Kratos and Baldur are Gods and Kratos is the God of War.
The original trilogy was a product of its time, but looking back now they are massively embarrassing and that story has nothing to offer in any broader sense. Theyโll simply tell(or re-imagine) the bits they need through character building flashbacks.
@LivewireCLS i luved it too man, i think it's an amazing show, i heard alot of people online saying bad stuff about it and how it's a disaster and so on , but tbh i almost don't see any problem with the show, luved it and i want more season of it .. and the fact that this first season had no "message" in it was so damn refreshing, since almost every show or video game nowadays is shoving that same "message" down everyone's throat.
Should have really started from the beginning for God of war. Would have been good to see Kratos developing from Olympus. To where he ends up.
The original god of war is Ares, and without Ares there would be no God of War. The original trilogy is a tale of ambition and revenge, and it would be extremely important for the show to tell that story. I mean, his skin is white because of his family's ashes. By the looks of it they'll either just mention it in a talk with another character or completely ignore it.
@Gbarsotini Or they could do what they did in the previous game (haven't played Ragnarok yet). Address certain important parts of Kratos' life through visions/flashbacks that Atreus also sees/experiences.
I'm in agreement with many.
God Of War 2018 wouldn't have the same impact unless I knew where Kratos came from and what he went through.
But then again I can imagine many who have played God of war 2018 haven't played the original 3 games.
But still the impact of keratosis having a child is alot more emotional knowing the origins, which is very important
Which source material?
The thing that made GOW 2018 work so well was all Kratos' backstory with the Greek Gods, how he was used and abused by them and how that framed his character. This made his redemption arc in 2018 and Ragnarok more fulfilling. Yes it would have been an OK story on it's own, just about a bad father becoming better, but to get the full hit, why he is what he is and experience the WHOLE character development arc you need the original trilogy. (and perhaps side stories like his brother Deimos)
Besides anti-hero going on a rampage and killing all the Greek Gods? Sign me up! Please get the original Dexter show runners to run this.
Thats funny given the fact gow is not at all faithful to the original source material especially its greek era
I was skeptical they were basing it off 2018's iteration but if the first season is about the year or so before Atreus was born I wouldn't mind seeing what Balrog san has in mind.
@rjejr - I get where you're coming from, and you're not wrong about the idea of completely omitting the original trilogy in favor of telling a God of War 2018 story, they really shouldn't skip over what happened to the Greek Pantheon, since those events are crucial to Kratos's development as a character.
However regarding your opinion on the original God of War trilogy compared to God of War 2018, I'm the opposite, while I have played & completed God of War 1, 2 & 3, and while they are good games, I couldn't relate to Kratos as a character, sure he's a bada$$, but essentially his character boiled down to pi$$ed-off mortal-turned-god fueled by anger & revenge, not exactly what I would call an interesting or even relatable character. Also Hack-and-Slash games are very hit or miss for me, some I like, most I do not, the only reason I even played God of War 1, 2 & 3 was because I had a very persistent friend who was a massive fan of God of War, and he would constantly annoy me until I inevitably played them.
God of War 2018 was exactly the direction I think I always wanted the series to go. No longer were the characters all one-dimensional, which was honestly my biggest issue with past games, as I can overlook the Hack-and-Slash gameplay if the story & characters are well-written, but Santa Monica Studios made a conscious effort to give layers to these characters, Kratos especially was significantly improved and in turn; became more relatable as a character. This is a Kratos with experience, this is a Kratos who has wised up, this is a Kratos who recognizes that everything he did for the sake of revenge was wrong, Kratos has learned from his mistakes, he realizes his actions had consequences, ultimately he accepts that he is a monster but strives to be better. Kratos carrying the weight of his actions from past games on this shoulder, all the while trying to be a good father, and doing everything in his power to ensure Atreus does not go down the same self-destructing path that he once did, that at least to me; instantly makes Kratos a far better character than he ever was before God of War 2018. And the same can be said for all the new characters introduced in God of War 2018 & God of War Ragnarok, I don't think there was a single weak link in this incredible cast of characters.
God of War is cinematic enough. This TV series is completely pointless
@rjejr I assume youโre just trolling at this point if thatโs what you got out of the game.
@northern_munkey Boring to me as in I just smashed buttons for several hours. The stories didnโt leave any impact on me at all as I hardly recall them.
@nessisonett - IMO 'Sad Dad Kratos' is at least far more interesting and relatable than pi$$ed-off revenge-fueled mortal-turned-god. And yes I know I oversimplified OG Kratos, but considering you oversimplified 2018's God of War just being 'Sad Dad Kratos', it's all fair game.
Faithfull to the source material? What, like Rings of Power or Wheel of Time?
Kratos won't even be the main character, calling it now.
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@PlayStationGamer3919 Both are based on comic books.
I get why they are opting for 2018 kratos but for me it should start at the beginning. The whole reason kratos struggles with his son is due to the events of those games and they explain why he is that way. More importantly they explain why somoeone comes knocking in the 2018 one.
I love the new games but i do miss the bombastic, zero sh*ts given approach of the old kratos just murdering gods, monsters and all in between.
And for me its mamoa or, and this is a wild card option, triple H for the role.
At this point, I don't give a crap. Stay true to the source material, don't stay true, it doesn't matter because the show will more than likely suck. RE: Welcome to Raccoon City was 'true' to the source material and it was still garbage. The only video game adaptations I've liked lately are the two Sonic movies and Uncharted, while not perfect, was enjoyable to watch. Everything else... No thanks.
A Greek actor or someone of Greek heritage should play Kratos.
Anything else is just cultural appropriation and cashing in on someone else's culture.
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@nessisonett does it matter if they've planned the character arc? I agree qte orgies have aged poorly, but the character was never written as a role model and was not made for susceptible teens. Sorry, but there's no progressive plus points to be had here.
I was hoping it would start from the early games. That way the make more seasons out of it. Sex and gore
@FatalBubbles Nope, not trolling, wish I was. Though I also got out fo the game that it was part 1 b/c the travel mechanism only lets you go to 5 of 9 worlds and the main antagonist only shows up in a post game cutscene, and the last world is hugely uneventful and therefore problematic for game flow.๐คทโโ๏ธ
@JustPlainLoco "This is a Kratos with experience, this is a Kratos who..."
Which the story is omitting starting w/ 2018, so all we get is "Logan". Logan is the best X-Men movie, ok that's not saying much they weren't that good, but if you just watch Logan, yeah still a great movie, but I can't imagine anyone caring all that much about a run down tired Hugh Jackman if that's the first ever appearance of Wolverine. Still a good movie, but you need the first 3, even gawd awful 3, which is just so so bad. ๐
First 3 GoW were great action games if you want non-stop violence. Even I would probably agree today 2018 is a better fuller game experience, but I think Starfox Adventure is the best Starfox game and Sonic Adventure is the best Sonic game so nobody cares what I think. ๐
@WallyWest "Kratos is the God of War."
Not in that game he isn't. I'll give you "God of Boy" as a proper title. ๐
So, anybody know what's up w/ all the removed comments, did France futbol fans join the thread?
@nessisonett Lol, for real. Really doubt they're going to show Kratos 1.0 snuff out his family.
I'm looking forward to seeing a trailer for it but I can't help but feel Amazon and Netflix would all be the wrong choices to touch gaming IPs.
Paramount could do the job if they were to make it something like the Sonic movies. Those are amazing! Amazon make shows that just don't work very well for me. Like there's something a bit off with them and Netflix make good shows but then cancels future seasons too early. They also don't do many home media releases.
Now HBO.. that's my perference. TLOU looks amazing and they did a great job with Game of Thrones so I'd trust them the most. They could make a pretty good GoW with the Greeks
I see others talking about wanting to start with the Greeks but I think it might actually be better starting with the Norse. Most of us here have already played the older games so for us it makes sense to start from there. But here's why I'd say Norse is the better start.
It's more friendly towards people that never played or heard of GoW before. It's a father and son game, or in this case show. He's not that angry man out for blood. Norse is a great starting point and it will leave new audience (which the show is mainly aiming for) curious about his past. Wondering what are all those things he did. We could see his Greek times through flashbacks or even a prequel. First reel in new fans with his niceness then show the angry younger kratos of his past.
If they started with Greek then maybe some people will just look at it as a silly show of an angry man just out killing Gods and then pass on it.
Pfft, Netflix said the same about the Witcher. Look how that turned out, I wish they would stop turning already cinematic games into TV shows. We've already seen the story, what's the point?
@SerJosh97 I can only comment on what I've seen and all of them have been 'just OK' at best to absolute trash at worst. I haven't seen a couple of the ones you mention, but I'll admit I also have no desire to either, other than maybe Edgerunners. I did try The WItcher out and just couldn't stick with it. It didn't resonate or grab me beyond the first episode. Got boring quick, IMHO. To each their own though!
Not sure my comment was disrespecting others but fair play if it was deemed as such. Either way im looking forward to seeing what amazon produce on this
@ILikeStake Ben Stiller as Kratos ๐๐๐
@PlayStationGamer3919 I was referring to The Boys and Invincible two fantastic shows Amazon made what are based on an existing IP.
I have big faith this show will turn out great, just look at what Amazon did with The Boys.
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