The development of the long-awaited The God of War TV series has experienced another setback after three top executives, led by The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins, left the project. The show has seen little progress since it was announced in 2022, and now, fans might have to wait a little longer as the studios get their act together.
According to Deadline, Amazon and Sony decided to “move in a different creative direction” despite praising the first scripts developed by Rafe Judkins and his fellow EPs, Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus (Children of Men and Iron Man). The studios are now restarting the project from scratch, meaning it will take a little longer to see the live-action series on Prime.
The show is expected to be the first live-action adaptation of the popular video game franchise that has been running since 2005. The game blends Greek and Norse mythology as it tells the story of Kratos, the Greek god of war, who decides to retire in the Norse realm of Midgard after being betrayed. God of War is based on the 2018 version of the game which was a global hit on Playstation.
“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,” goes the original description of the show by Amazon.
After the success of other video game adaptations like Halo, Fallout, and The Last of Us, God of War’s potential looked great from the very beginning. Amazon is still expected to invest heavily in the project, especially since the parent video game still enjoys a massive global fan base. The franchise is only expected to expand in the coming years with a new video game, expected soon, after the positive reception of God of War: Ragnarok which was released in November 2022.
“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. 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,” Vernon Sanders, Amazon’s head of Global Television said in 2022 while announcing the show.
Judkins, who is under a long-term contract with Amazon, was a welcome addition to the project after his success with The Wheel of Time. We have no reason to believe that his departure from God of War will affect his other projects with the streamer, including The Wheel of Time, whose third season is in the works. However, the same can’t be said for Fergus and Ostby.
Cory Barlog, who has worked as the video game director of God of War since 2005, also joined the team as an executive producer alongside fellow video game directors from Santa Monica Studio and PlayStation. Barlog’s inclusion in the EP team would ensure the show’s scripts stay loyal to the source material. In 2023, Barlog dismissed rumors that the studio was considering Dwayne Johnson for the lead role of Kratos. Despite rumors, no one has been cast for the lead role yet, meaning the show is still far from getting its first-look images.
Fortunately, the show is in no immediate danger of cancelation as Deadline further reported that the studio is building a whole new writers’ room to develop the new scripts. Whether the changes will affect the show’s original storyline remains unclear. However, since there are no reports of Cory Barlog and the rest of the video game directors leaving the project, we have no reason to believe that the show will stray far away from the video game’s portrayal of Kratos.