Just yesterday it was announced that Amazon Prime Video is officially moving forward with a television adaptation of the popular God of War video game series from Santa Monica Studio. It’s early days, so no one has been cast, we have no idea when we’ll actually get to see it, and details are sparse. But we do have an idea of who will be steering the longship into Midgard.
Variety reports that Rafe Judkins, who serves as showrunner on the Amazon series The Wheel of Time, will also be the head honcho of Amazon’s God of War, with The Expanse producers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby penning the screen treatment for the series as well as executive producing. The show will be co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Picture Television, with several prominent members of Santa Monica Studio attached as executive producers as well.
“’God of War’ is a compelling, character-driven franchise that we believe will captivate our global customers as much with its expansive and immersive worlds as its rich storytelling,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios. “We are honored to share in the adventure of exploring the God of War mythology in such a momentous way with Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, and Santa Monica Studio.”
Rafe Judkins will be showrunner on both The Wheel of Time and God of War
It’s good that Sony and Amazon are going in on this together; having the team that created the game as a resource will be invaluable. But I must admit I’m also a little torn about Judkins being attached. Judkins was one of the scriptwriters for the Uncharted movie, so he has experience with game adaptations and is also clearly capable of the job based on how he’s handled The Wheel of Time.
On the other hand, The Wheel of Time is currently in post-production on its second season, with a third already renewed. Showrunner is a very demanding job, so it’s hard to wrap my head around how he’ll be able to do it for two huge productions.
Though God of War is a long-running series that started all the way back in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, the television show will focus on the newer slate of games that started with the 2018 sequel/reboot. Here’s the official description:
"[God of War] 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. When his beloved wife dies, Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son 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."
It’ll likely be a couple of years before we get to see God of War on Prime Video, but we’ll be on the lookout for any casting updates or other news. In the meantime, the sequel to the acclaimed 2016 game, God of War: Ragnarök, was just released last month is now out and getting rave reviews.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels