God of War is 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 like Fallout and The Last of Us have convinced everyone that video game shows aren’t all garbage, something like God of War can draw positive attention. The upcoming God of War show 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 brought Tom Holland into Uncharted and Anthony Mackie into Twisted Metal. They’ve got a hotly anticipated Ghost of Tsushima movie coming to the screen with the director of John Wick attached. They certainly haven’t all been success stories, but aside from making costumes for Astro Bot, Sony appears to be looking for any outlet for their beloved characters.
Related
God Of War: 10 Largest Bosses In The Series
Few video games can rival the awe-inspiring scale and spectacle of the largest bosses in the God of War series.
Amazon is making a God of War series
Amazon Prime Video ordered God of War to series way 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 classic Children of Men and a considerable chunk of Iron Man. They also created and produced The Expanse for Amazon Prime. Judkins cut his teeth on Chuck and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. before developing, writing, and producing The Wheel of Time for 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 three Star Trek shows, created Outlander, and most recently developed Apple TV’s For All Mankind. This shift strongly implies that the work completed on the show over the last two years will be discarded, leaving the show to start over with an uncertain fate.
The God of War show will adapt the recent games
The list of things fans know about the upcoming God of War show is 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 of God 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 games were 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.
The God of War series can explore the first games through flashbacks
One of the interesting things about God 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 sequel without 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 and Mario may be older than Kratos, but nearly every new adventure comes with a complete rewrite. The God of War franchise 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.
Related
Rumor: Classic God of War Games Could Be Making a Comeback
The classic, ancient Greece-era God of War games of the PS2 and PS3 generations could be making a comeback soon, at least according to a new rumor.