Amazon’s God of War TV series will be ‘incredibly true to the source material’

Amazon has said the upcoming God of War TV adaptation will stay “incredibly true” to the source material.

It was announced last week that the company had officially greenlit a series based on the flagship Sony Interactive Entertainment franchise.

The show will follow the events of 2018’s God of War series reboot, which centres on father and son protagonists Kratos and Atreus and is one of PlayStation’s biggest hits with some 23 million sales.

Unlike previous entries in the series, which were inspired by Greek mythology, the game—and its sequel God of War Ragnarök—are loosely based on Norse mythology.

And Amazon Studios’ head of television Vernon Sanders told Collider fans shouldn’t expect the show to deviate far from the source material.

“We do incredibly well with adaptations, from Invincible to The Boys. I mean, we just covered so many of them, right? And so, we know that there’s such a passionate fan base for God of War,” he said.

“But the thing that we’re always looking for is whether there is a real emotional core, if there’s a real narrative story, and I think [that’s] part of what makes God of War so special.”

According to the official show description: “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.”

The show is a co-production between Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions.

It’s being adapted by showrunner Rafe Judkins (The Wheel of Time), and writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man, The Expanse).

All three are also serving as executive producers, as are Santa Monica Studio head Yumi Yang and creative director Cory Barlog.

“At the center of it all is this story of fathers and sons, and families, set against this giant epic landscape,” said Sanders. “So what Rafe and Mark and Hawk have come up with for the first season, and for the series, I think, is both incredibly true to the source material, and also compelling on its own.

“If you never played the game, you will fall in love with the show and feel very much invited in. So, we think it’s going to be huge.”

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Sony recently claimed God of War: Ragnarök is the fastest-selling first-party game in PlayStation history, with 5.1 million copies purchased in its debut week.

The game also won six of the 10 prizes it was nominated for at this month’s The Game Awards, scooping Best Narrative, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design, Best Performance, Best Action/Adventure, and Innovation in Accessibility.