Since it was announced in December 2023, excitement surrounding Amazon's God of War TV show had all but vanished due to the lack of movement on the project. However, there's now been a huge update that proves the live-action video game adaptation is finally making measurable progress. Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, For All Mankind) was brought on as the God of War showrunner a little over a year ago, but beyond Amazon already ordering two seasons, fans have been left waiting for more developments.
Deadline reports that Frederick E.O. Toye has now signed on to direct God of War's first two episodes. No stranger to working on Prime Video projects, Toye has also helmed episodes of The Boys, Fallout, and multiple other shows on other platforms. God of War has also officially entered the pre-production process, with the show being based out of Vancouver. Casting is underway, and the hunt is also finally on to find actors to play Kratos and other key franchise characters.
Prime Video is quickly becoming the home for video game TV shows
The God of War games have an epic storyline that makes them perfect for a high-budget small-screen adaptation. So, it's no surprise that Amazon is going ahead with the project. However, the show isn't the only video game adaptation that Prime Video is responsible for in recent years. Everyone already knows how brilliant Fallout has been so far, and Fallout season 2's arrival later this month is hotly anticipated.
There has also been quite a lot of progress on the upcoming Mass Effect show, which is looking as though it will follow in Fallout's footsteps, with both shows telling new stories set in the same universe as their respective source materials, rather than rehashing game plotlines in a new reality. While it's unlikely that God of War will be set in the same continuity as the game series, the last game did end at a compelling moment that could serve as a jumping-off point for a live-action TV show. Regardless, there's been no confirmation either way about this specific element of the adaptation.
So, in the coming years, Prime Video subscribers will have access to Fallout, Mass Effect, and now God of War. Despite each belonging to massive video game franchises, they're also intended to be welcoming to new viewers while keeping existing fans happy. Any other option would limit the show's target audiences, so keeping things as accessible as possible is a smart move.
Which God of War games will the Amazon show be based on?
Speaking with IGN, showrunner Ronald D. Moore confirmed that God of War will primarily focus on the eponymously named 2018 game and its 2022 sequel, Ragnarök. While the franchise has other games that canonically happen before these two, 2018 served as a soft reboot for the series. Past storylines are referenced in the new era, but they aren't nearly as relevant. 2018 also sees the debut of Atreus, the son of the franchise's title character.
With both characters grieving the loss of the family matriarch, their shared story focuses on the strained father/son dynamic that exists between them. Moore himself as admitted that he is "not a gamer," but that he "responded to the story of Kratos and his son" when watching cutscenes from the source material. So, if you want to avoid spoilers for God of War, it's probably a good idea to avoid playing the games — or at least the most recent two.
There is currently no confirmed release date for God of War.