Sony Pictures TV and Amazon MGM Studios are starting to feel like Sisyphus as they hit the reset button on the adaptation of Santa Monica Studio’s God of War. According to Deadline, showrunner/executive producer Rafe Judkins and EPs Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus have exited the project after completing several scripts for the show’s first season. Jointly, the studios want to move in a different direction. However, other sources tell Deadline Sony and Prime Video were pleased with what the trio produced.
While this is a significant setback, Sony and Amazon MGM Studios remain committed to the God of War TV series. The studios plan to establish a writers’ room to forge new ideas for the ambitious adaptation. Judkins remains committed to his overall deal with Sony and continues to work on other projects linked to the flagship studio.
When Sony announced the God of War TV series, its plot closely followed the events of the hit video game franchise’s last two chapters. In 2022, Sony said the show “follows Kratos, aka the God of War, who, after exiling himself from his blood-soaked past in ancient Greece, hangs up his weapons forever in the Norse realm of Midgard. When his beloved wife dies, Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son to spread her ashes from the highest peak—his wife’s final wish. Kratos soon realizes the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one which will test the bonds between father and son and force Kratos to battle new Gods and monsters for the fate of the world.”
Universally beloved by gamers, the God of War series began on Sony’s PlayStation 2 console. Several games belonging to the God of War franchise have been released across multiple consoles, handheld gaming platforms, and PC. Each chapter has set Kratos against new threats and built upon his extensive skill set. In 2018, Sony rebooted God of War and introduced Kratos’ son, Atreus, a Greek and Norse pantheon hybrid. With plenty of mythology to explore, a God of War TV series could result in an expansive (and expensive) fantasy action epic for Amazon.
The latest video game in the God of War franchise, God of War: Ragnarok, won five awards at the 2022 Game Awards, including Best Narrative, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design, Best Performance (Christopher Judge as Kratos), Innovation in Accessibility, and Best Action/Adventure Game.
What direction will Sony’s God of War TV series take if it doesn’t adhere to the original pitch? How much money are the studios willing to spend on a show potentially as epic as The Wheel of Time or The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? Okay, maybe God of War isn’t Lord of the Rings levels of massive, but you understand what I mean. It could be a while until we hear more about this project. I hope they figure it out and present something to look forward to.