The anticipation for Prime Video‘s upcoming live-action God of War series has turned into a whimper, following a first look at Kratos, played by Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy), and Callum Vinson’s Atreus. As part of its announcement that the project is now in production, the early photo shows the father-son duo in costume as they go on a hunt, alongside the tagline, “Their journey to the highest peak begins.”
Fans were far from impressed, however, with many expressing disappointment and bemusement over the seemingly budget-quality outfits. The kerfuffle even caught the attention of Hurst himself, who took to Instagram Stories and wrote, “Don’t believe everything you see on the internet, kids.”
The comment comes across as confusing — since Amazon was behind the official visual, it eliminates the possibility of a leak or an AI deepfake, which has led to speculation of another Sonic the Hedgehog situation (for the uninitiated, the initial trailer for CGI Sonic in Paramount’s live-action adaptation sparked so much backlash that the speedster had to undergo a major revamp). In any case, it’s worth bearing in mind that first impressions are hardly representative of the end product, and that a release date for the series has yet to be set.
Set to adapt the storyline of the two most recent games by Santa Monica Studios, God of War is helmed by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), with Frederick E.O. Toye (Shōgun, Fallout) tapped to direct the first two episodes. PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions are co-producing the show, alongside Sony and Amazon, while longtime God of War writer and director Cory Barlog and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Hermen Hulst serve as executive producers. Production is currently underway in Vancouver.
In addition to Hurst and Vinson, the adaptation also stars Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Teresa Palmer as Sif, and Danny Woodburn and Jeff Gulka as brothers Brok and Sindri. The official synopsis remains under wraps, but the description for (a noticeably younger) Atreus reads:
“Atreus, the 10-year-old son of Kratos, grew up in a remote forest cabin, isolated from the rest of the world and raised almost entirely by his mother, Faye. He is an accomplished archer, has an affinity for animals, and is intensely curious about what lies beyond the confines of his forest home. After his mother’s death, Atreus is left with a cold, distant father whom he barely knows and who knows little about him in return. Nonetheless, Atreus yearns for his father’s approval and is desperate to prove he is strong enough to survive in a harsh and dangerous world.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
