MOVIE NEWS – Amazon Prime Video is gearing up to bring God of War to live action in late 2027, and the very first official image has already sparked a noisy backlash. David Jaffe, the creator of the God of War video games, publicly slammed the reveal of Kratos and Atreus, even while insisting the series can still turn out great. His issue isn’t simply the casting – it’s that this particular photo, in his view, is a terrible way to introduce an iconic character to a wider audience.
One of the biggest video game franchises, God of War, is set to reach a broader audience through Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming series adaptation, which aims to tell the beloved story of Kratos, a Spartan demigod, and his son, Atreus. Slated for late 2027, the show is being led by showrunner Ronald D. Moore – best known for his work on Star Trek and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica – and although he has admitted he isn’t a gamer, his TV résumé has been strong enough to ease some fan anxiety.
Still, God of War creator David Jaffe hasn’t held back his thoughts on the first look at Kratos and Atreus. He went to his YouTube channel to react bluntly to the debut image, asking, “Could you find a picture that doesn’t look like he’s sh**ting in the woods? Cause that’s what the picture looks like.” He then softened the landing, stressing that he respects the team behind the series, even if he thinks the first image was a bad call.
“I’m sure everybody’s trying real hard, [but] it’s so dumb. But let’s be incredibly clear, okay? Two things can be true. This can be a terrible image, and it is. It’s so bad in so many ways, which we’ll talk about in a moment. And Ron Moore is awesome, who is the showrunner… This guy is a juggernaut of a talented fellow. I have absolutely no doubt it is going to be a good show. Kratos in this pose with this expression, not the guy’s face, but this expression, he just looks stupid. If you’re going to reveal, to most people, a brand-new character that you hope is going to carry your series, for the first time, and they’ve never really seen this before, and this is the way you introduce them?”
Even with Jaffe expressing confidence that the show will be good, he can’t get past how “stupid” he thinks Kratos looks in this first reveal meant for mainstream viewers. It’s also not the first time the series has rubbed parts of the fanbase the wrong way. Jaffe’s full video goes deeper into the reasoning behind his reaction.
With Ryan Hurst being cast as Kratos already ruffling feathers, the series arguably can’t afford many more stumbles. Hurst previously played Thor in the God of War Ragnarök video game and even earned a BAFTA Game Awards nomination for his performance, but many fans initially hoped the live-action role would go to the games’ voice actor, Christopher Judge.
There’s still room for Hurst to win audiences over, especially since Jaffe himself acknowledged that a single still image says little about an actor’s full performance before anyone has seen a scene. For now, the overall mood remains cautiously hopeful, particularly with Amazon coming off a successful game adaptation that got TV viewers and gamers to rally around another heavyweight franchise: Fallout.
Source: MovieWeb
