Just over a month after the release of God of War Ragnarök on the PlayStation 4 and 5, Amazon has ordered a live-action series adaptation of the latest games in the franchise. The series will be a production between Amazon Studios, Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions.
God of War was first released on the PlayStation 2 in 2005 and was praised for its action-orientated gameplay as it followed Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta, on a mission of revenge against the Greek gods. After spawning two sequels and some spin-off, the franchise was given a soft reboot with 2018’s God of War from Santa Monica Studio, taking place centuries after God of War III, and finds Kratos resettled in Migard with his son as they come into conflict with the Norse gods.
God of War received wide acclaim for its gameplay and telling a more serious story as it centered on the father/son relationship between Kratos and Atreus as the warrior adjusted to fatherhood. The sequel, God of War Ragnarok, was released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 last month.
Rather than take it back to the beginning in ancient Greece, the series will instead follow the 2018 God of War and focus on Kratos and Atreus’ journey against the Norse gods. The show’s synopsis reads:
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.
Rafe Judkins (The Wheel of Time) will serve as showrunner on God of War while Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (The Expanse) will write and executive produce alongside Judkins and Santa Monica creative director Cory Barlog, Yumi Yang and Jeff Ketcham, PlayStation Productions’ Azad Qizilbash and Carter Swan, Vertigo’s Roy Lee.
“God of War is one of PlayStation’s most awarded video games, so we’re excited to partner with Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios to bring our beloved franchise to fans and new audiences in a bold and authentic way,” said Qizilbash.
“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, Amazon Studios’ head of global television. “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 [game developer] Santa Monica Studio.”
“We are so proud and excited to be working with our friends at Amazon Studios and our partners at PlayStation Productions to adapt this beautiful and heartbreaking game into a premium live-action series,” said Sony Pictures TV president Katherine Pope. “Rafe, Mark and Hawk are crafting a transportive series that charts a path through the ancient mythological journey of Kratos.”
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
