If you're a fan of fantasy TV shows, then Prime Video is probably one of the best streaming services for you with Wheel of Time, Rings of Power and Carnival Row just some of the epics on the platform — and soon, it's going to get another massive name under its belt.
Amazon has announced that it's working on an adaptation of God of War, the popular video game series that dates back to 2005, which follows the exploits of the god of war Kratos as he battles gods and monsters.
In particular, the upcoming Prime Video show, which has been in early development since March 2022, will follow the events of the 2018 entry to the series, a reboot which is also simply called God of War (a sequel, called God of War: Ragnarok, was released in late 2022).
The 2018 God of War transplants Kratos from his native Greek Mythology to Norse, and follows him and his estranged son as they set off on a journey to scatter Kratos' wife's ashes from the tallest mountain in the realm. It's like a mash-up of traditional Norse folklore with Man on Fire. The TV show is likely to follow a very similar tone to the original game.
God of War almost saw itself turned into a movie in 2005, when a Universal Studios-produced adaptation was announced by the game's creator, but after 15 years of very infrequent updates, Sony, which makes the video game, itself confirmed that no film was in the works.
While no actor has been announced for Kratos yet, or his son Atreus, or any of the Norse gods (each of which would be a meaty and fun role for any actor), some names have been announced.
The showrunner is Rafe Judkins, who developed the Wheel of Time TV show. Judkins has experience with video game adaptations thanks to writing the 2022 Uncharted movie. The scripts will be written by writing duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, best known for Children of Men but who also wrote Iron Man and Cowboys and Aliens and created The Expanse.
The TV show is set to be co-produced by Amazon Studios (as you'd expect for a Prime Video original) as well as Sony Pictures Television.
Sony is rather busy with video game franchises at the moment with The Last of Us adaptation coming from HBO on January 15 and shows based on Horizon Zero Dawn (coming to Netflix) and Twisted Metal (coming to Peacock) in the works too. It's also working on movie adaptations of racing game Gran Turismo (coming August 11, 2023), samurai action-slasher Ghost of Tsushima, zombie shooter Days Gone, classic platformer Jak and Daxter and adventure game Gravity Rush.
Video game fans probably also know that Prime Video is working on a TV show based on the popular post-apocalypse comedy RPG Fallout, though details are scarce on the anticipated adaptation.
Given how long ago the Fallout adaptation was announced, which indicates Amazon Studio's production cycles, don't expect to see the God of War show any time soon. In its announcement, Amazon didn't state a release window, so we'll probably have to wait a while to find one.
But fans of fantasy or video game adaptations have plenty to sink their teeth into on Prime Video in the meantime with the aforementioned shows as well as American Gods, The Legend of Vox Machina and more all vying for your attention.
