A new TV adaption of the incredibly popular God of War video games series is in the works for Amazon Prime Video, as Sony once again looks to bring another one of its PlayStation mascots into Hollywood.
As reported by Deadline, negotiations are currently underway between the two companies with The Expanse creators Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby behind the series, along with The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins. The latter helped out with the story and screenplay for the Tom Holland-led Uncharted film too. Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions will be on hand as part of the collaboration.
God of War was established in 2005, with the series going on to sell more than 50 million copies as of November 2020. It follows Kratos, a spartan warrior who is tricked into killing his family before then exacting revenge upon the Greek gods that mislead him. The latest release, God of War (2018), has won numerous awards and is often cited as one of the best games of all time. A sequel called God of War Ragnarok is due to release sometime later this year.
Naturally, the biggest question fans will be wondering is: who should play Kratos? While the likes of Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are frequently mentioned in fan-casting for the role, and as much as I'd love to see Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge be given the chance, I sadly don't see any of them happening.
You see, my personal pick would be Rory McCann, who is best known as Sandor "The Hound" Clegane in Game of Thrones. He also held a memorable role as Michael "Lurch" Armstrong in Hot Fuzz and most recently appeared in Jumanji: The Next Level.
There's something about how the Scottish actor holds himself that I can see working well as Kratos. Not to mention, I feel he could really unleash the anger and chaos that comes with the character while balancing those quieter, guarded moments. Just watch a couple of scenes between Clegane and Arya Stark and you'll see exactly what I mean.
No one expected Pedro Pascal to be chosen for Joel in The Last of Us and definitely no one expected Anthony Mackie to be picked for Twisted Metal, so that's why I think Rory McCann has a shot. Sure, he doesn't have the same star status but the Game of Thrones recognition might just be enough to bring the actor into contention. Make it happen, Sony!
Meanwhile, God of War: Ragnarok is set to launch across PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 sometime in 2022. A PlayStation State of Play is set to premiere on March 9th where potentially new details may be revealed.
