Ouch! Amazon’s live-action series adaptation of Santa Monica’s God of War video game franchise is set to start from scratch. According to Variety, showrunner and executive producer Rafe Judkins, along with executive producers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, have left the project. They reportedly submitted multiple scripts to both Amazon and Sony, but the studios are interested in pursuing a completely new creative direction.
The remaining executives who have stayed with the show are PlayStation Productions’ Carter Swan and Asad Qizilbash, Santa Monica’s Cory Barlog and Yumi Yang, and Vertigo’s Roy Lee.
This move by Sony and Amazon indicates that the studios plan to hire an entirely new writers’ team. However, we have yet to receive the show’s release date and cast announcement. The series was officially announced back in 2022, revealing that it would be a live-action adaptation set in the Norse realm of Midgard, aligning with the 2018 God of War era.
The departure of these executives means that fans will have to wait a little longer to see Kratos in live-action, but Sony and Amazon are still committed to the project, which is a positive sign.
Created by David Jaffe, Santa Monica’s God of War video game franchise debuted in 2005 and quickly became a flagship title for PlayStation. The series’ storyline follows Kratos, a legendary Spartan warrior who becomes the God of War and encounters different mythological deities. As of November 2023, the series has sold over 66 million copies globally. Stay tuned for more updates.