The God of War TV show already had a Herculean task in replacing Kratos actor Ryan Hurst after an on-set injury.
Now, reshoots are set to commence with Dave Bautista playing the Ghost of Sparta. Despite the behind-the-scenes drama, we remain excited for the Prime Video series. For now, we've put together everything we currently 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 arrive on Prime Video.
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God of War TV show release date speculation
The God of War TV show is currently undated. All we currently know is that production is set to resume in mid-October, following the departure of Kratos actor Ryan Hurst with Dave Bautista coming in as a replacement.
A typical, VFX-heavy prestige TV show – something like The Last of Us – takes anywhere from 12-18 months to reach the screen after filming. But God of War could have an even longer gestation period, as the reported plan is to shoot both seasons 1 and 2 back-to-back, so that young Atreus actor Callum Vinson doesn't have a distracting growth spurt between seasons.
Our best guess? Mark your calendars for mid 2028.
God of War TV show cast: who is playing Kratos?
Dave Bautista is playing Kratos following Ryan Hurst's departure from the show due to a significant bicep injury. Hurst had previous experience in the franchise, having played Thor in God of War: Ragnarok, and also appears in a supporting role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, as Mentor.
Despite overwhelmingly negative reactions to the show's first-look image, Kratos game actor Christopher Judge gave his approval to Hurst playing Kratos – the only seal of approval needed, making Hurst's forced departure even more tragic.
There could still be more casting changes to come given the show will have a drastically different production schedule going forward. One report says Atreus actor Callum Vinson may also be recast in future seasons.
They include Mandy Patinkin and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, who are playing Norse gods Odin and Thor, respectively.
Max Parker will play Heimdall, and Teresa Palmer is portraying Sif. Both characters only appear in the second game, confirming the timeline of events has been reconfigured for the show. A behind-the-scenes photo shared from set gives us a teeny tiny sneak peek at Ed Skrein's Baldur... which really just allows us to see his game-accurate beard.
One actor who won't be part of production is current Kratos game actor Christopher Judge. His reason? He's "old as balls." Fair enough.
The current God of War cast is as follows:
- Dave Bautista - Kratos
- Callum Vinson - Atreus
- Ólafur Darri Ólafsson - Thor
- Mandy Patinkin - Odin
- Ed Skrein - Baldur
- Sonya Walger - Freya
- Brok - Danny Woodburn
- Sindri - Jeff Gulka
- Mimir - Alastair Duncan
- Max Parker - Heimdall
- Theresa Palmer - Sif
- Louis Cunningham - Modi
- Ben Chapple - Magni
- Island Austin - Thrud
- Evelyn Miller - Gna
Despite the rocky start for the God of War show, 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 on board 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, or depict elements of each game concurrently.
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. The departure of star Ryan Hurst means that the four episodes filmed to date have all been scrapped, with filming set to start over again in October 2026.
It's possible we'll get another first-look shortly after that, though given the reaction to the first, er, first-look Amazon might be wise to wait till the first teaser to fully reveal the new God of War. San Diego Comic-Con 2027 could be a good place to relaunch the show.
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.
