Prime Video’s upcoming series adaptation of God of War has just filled two of its antagonist roles. Per Deadline, Mandy Patinkin (Homeland) and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Severance) will play the Norse gods Odin and Thor respectively.
Taking inspiration from the God of War reboot games by Santa Monica Studio, the series will follow Kratos, a fearsome warrior known as the Ghost of Sparta who battled against the gods of Olympus. Now living in isolation with his young son Atreus, the two embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.
Their journey, though, brings them into contact with many of the Norse gods who try to stop them as Odin takes any means necessary to prevent Ragnarök, the end of days. Patinkin’s Odin is “the All-Father, is not physically imposing or particularly god-like, but looks can be deceiving. He is the most powerful Aesir god, a patriarch who leads with an iron fist and an unrivaled seeker of knowledge. When it comes to seeking out prophecy, Odin is paranoid, manipulative and dangerous— he will do anything to try and prevent Ragnarök, the Norse end of days. He serves as a formidable antagonist to Kratos (Ryan Hurst).”
Ólafsson is, Thor “the God of Thunder, a mountain of a man who has weathered many a battle in his time, but whose actions in a war fought long ago now haunt his waking hours. Once the loyal soldier of Asgard and his father’s right-hand man, Thor is now but a shadow of his former self as he drowns himself in alcohol and tries not to think of the price he paid. Keeping his wife and children at arm’s length has only deepened his isolation, but the power (and danger) of the God of Thunder is still there just beneath the surface.”
Patinkin and Ólafsson join Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy) as Kratos, Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies) as Phoebe/Sif, Thor’s wife and Max Parker (Boots) as Heimdall, one of Odin’s sons.
The series is developed by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, For All Mankind) who will serve as writer and executive producer. The first two episodes of God of War will be directed by Frederick E.O. Toye (Shōgun, The Boys).
