As reported by TVLine, Amazon Prime Video has announced plans to adapt the popular video game franchise God of War into a television series. The television adaptation is being co-produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon Studios, and PlayStation Productions.
The series will be showrun by The Wheel of Time’s Rafe Judkins. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, who have been nominated for an Oscar for their work on Children of Men and Iron Man, will write and executive produce the series alongside Judkins.
They will be working alongside Santa Monica Studio creative director Cory Barlog (God of War, God of War II), PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash (Chernobyl) and Carter Swan (The Last of Us), Santa Monica Studio’s Yumi Yang (The Con), and Vertigo’s Roy Lee (Dungeons and Dragons). Santa Monica Studio’s Jeff Ketcham (Transformers) will serve as co-executive producer.
The show will follow the main character, Kratos, a god of war who has exiled himself to the Norse realm of Midgard after a bloody past in ancient Greece. After the death of his wife, Kratos and his estranged son set out on a dangerous journey to fulfill her final wish. However, their journey turns out to be an epic quest that tests the bonds between father and son and forces Kratos to battle new gods and monsters.
The video game series God of War was first released in 2005 and has received critical acclaim for its various versions. In 2018, the game’s PlayStation 4 release won multiple awards, including game of the year at the Game Awards. The latest installment, God of War Ragnarok, came out in November.
“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, Head of Global Television at Amazon Studios, per TVLine. “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.”
“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 Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios, per the Amazon Prime Video press release. “Rafe, Mark and Hawk are crafting a transportive series that charts a path through the ancient mythological journey of Kratos.”
“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 Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions, via the Amazon Prime Video press release.
The God of War franchise is well-known for its award-winning video games and has a large, dedicated fan base. The television adaptation is expected to bring the franchise to a new audience and expand its reach even further. It is set to premiere in over 240 countries and territories, though a specific release date has not yet been announced.