God of War TV show release date speculation, cast, story, and more news

Prime Video's God of War TV show is now officially in production, with the first image of lead actors Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as his son Atreus officially released. Fans will surely have some opinions on the first look, but there's a lot more to dig into about the God of War show.

New cast members are signing on all the time, with a growing pantheon of Norse gods taking shape. Along with the official synopsis, we're steadily learning more about what to expect. We've pieced together everything we know about the God of War TV show into one handy guide, including the announced cast, the plot, and even speculation on when God of War might premiere.

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God of War TV show release date speculation

The God of War TV show may be currently undated (largely thanks to a 2024 creative overhaul after its initial 2022 announcement), but there's some progress as the series has officially entered production.

With that in mind, we anticipate a similar length of time from production to premiere as The Last of Us – a similarly big-budget experience. That took around 18 months, though the likely more isolated journey of Kratos owes itself to a slightly smoother, brisker turnaround.

Our best guess? Mark your calendars for late 2027.

God of War TV show cast: who is playing Kratos?

The headline news from the God of War TV show is that The Walking Dead's Ryan Hurst will be playing Kratos. You may also know the actor from his time on Sons of Anarchy or, as luck would have it, in God of War Ragnarok as Thor.

Kratos game actor Christopher Judge has even given his approval to Ryan Hurst playing Kratos.

That said, reactions to the first full image of Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus, seen above, have been mixed at best. Hurst himself responded cryptically to criticism of the image, saying "Don't believe everything you see on the internet, kids."

Meanwhile, God of War video game creator David Jaffe said the image "just looks stupid," but qualified his comments, adding "I have absolutely no doubt it is going to be a good show."

Recently, there has been a wave of additional castings: Mandy Patinkin and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson have been cast as Norse gods Odin and Thor, respectively. Chucky actor Callum Vinson will play Atreus.

Max Parker will play Heimdall, and Teresa Palmer is portraying Sif/Phoebe, indicating that role will be fleshed out a little further.

Four more actors recently joined the cast, including Louis Cunningham as Modi, Ben Chapple as Magni, Island Austin as Thrud, and Evelyn Miller as Gna.

The current God of War cast is as follows:

• Ryan Hurst - Kratos
• Callum Vinson - Atreus
• Ólafur Darri Ólafsson - Thor
• Mandy Patinkin - Odin
• Max Parker - Heimdall
• Theresa Palmer - Sif
• Louis Cunningham - Modi
• Ben Chapple - Magni
• Island Austin - Thrud
• Evelyn Miller - Gna

Despite the slow drip feed of announcements, there's plenty of creative talent to get excited about. Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander) serves as showrunner (replacing Rade Judkins), while Shogun and The Boys director Frederick E.O. Toye will helm the first two episodes. Santa Monica Studio director Cory Barlog is also onboard as executive producer, perhaps in a not too dissimilar role to Todd Howard on the Fallout TV series.

God of War TV show plot: what games are being adapted?

The first thing you want to know is surely which pantheon of gods Kratos will be going up against in the God of War TV show, right? Prime Video's original announcement teased that the series will be at least partially adapting Kratos' Norse saga, which began in 2018's God of War.

That's confirmed by the show's new official synopsis, which reads: God of War follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they 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.

So, confirmation, if any was needed, that the first season will closely follow the events of 2018's God of War. We can't rule out any allusions to Kratos' Greek past though. We still get goosebumps thinking about the Chains of Olympus reveal in the first Norse game.

Ronald D. Moore has also confirmed that two seasons have been ordered by Amazon, but it's unclear whether both seasons will adapt God of War and then its Ragnarok sequel.

Speaking to IGN, Moore also says the show will serve to "emulate" the tone of the game, with a focus on the relationship between Kratos and his son, Atreus.

"I responded to the story of Kratos and his son and then they set out on this epic journey in this world that was finely detailed and really interesting, and there's a lot of combat and interesting monsters along the way. But I kept coming back to this story of father and son, and it was just emotional and it was different, and I hadn't seen anything like that before," Moore said.

As explained to Collider, Moore is using Cory Barlog as a fount of knowledge for his adaptation.

"I've had several meetings with Cory, and you ask Cory, 'Well, tell me about the backstory of this or how this works,' and he just can talk because he holds it all in his head. And I usually pride myself about, as a showrunner, I can hold the season in my head. I know what the 10 episodes are, and I can tell you about them," Moore explained. "Cory can tell you the whole thing in every possible way – all the mythology, how it connects one to the other, what the puzzles were, why they did this, and what that artifact did. It's really impressive. I mean, it is like a gigantic novel, even bigger than the Outlander novels, which is a lot to digest."

When to expect a God of War TV show teaser

Don't expect one for a while, frankly. While the series made its projected March 2026 production date, the only taste we've gotten so far is the first look image at Kratos and Atreus in the cast section above.

There's a small chance more images or even some brief footage could be shown at this year's San Diego Comic-Con to whet the appetite. Beyond that, we don't anticipate marketing will ramp up until well into 2027.

Where to watch the God of War TV show

The God of War TV show will be streaming exclusively on Prime Video for subscribers and won't be available on any other platform.

For more, check out our picks for the best Prime Video shows and best Prime Video movies.