Nearly two years after it was confirmed to be in the works, Amazon's live-action TV adaptation of Sony Santa Monica's God of War series is being renewed after the companies involved decided on a “different creative direction.”
That's according to Deadline, which reports that showrunner and executive producer Rafe Judkins (who also serves as showrunner on Amazon's The Wheel of Time adaptation) has now left the God of War project, along with executive producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus.
Deadline says the trio had already completed “multiple scripts” for the first season of God of War, scripts that were reportedly “praised” by executives at Sony and Prime, but appear to now be scrapped as the companies follow a ” different creative direction.” Despite the change, Deadline's sources say the TV project remains a “major asset” for Prime, with Sony and Amazon now looking to hire a “whole new writers room” for the series.
When Amazon initially announced its God of War adaptation in December 2022, it explained that it would follow Kratos' “dangerous journey with his estranged son” to fulfill his wife's final wishes and “spread [her] ashes of the highest peak.” However, “Kratos soon realizes that the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one that will test the bonds between father and son, and force Kratos to fight new gods and monsters for the destiny of the world.”
It's unclear what Amazon and Sony's new “creative direction” may be for the series, but given that the original pitch was to adapt the now-complete Norse saga of God of War, the decision may have been made to tie the series together. to future releases. For example, there have been rumors that Sony is looking to revive the original God of War trilogy in some form, so perhaps the TV show could be looking to plant its flag in ancient Greece.
Whatever the outcome, reports of a “rerun” suggest it will be some time before Amazon's live-action God of War TV series hits the screen. Before that, Prime has the second season on the way (currently “ahead of schedule”) of his acclaimed Fallout adaptation and was also reportedly eyeing a Mass Effect series at the same time.