God of War TV series from Sony and Amazon is reportedly in production hell

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Videogame TV adaptations have come a long way, partly thanks to the critical and commercial success of both The Last of Us on HBO and Fallout on Prime Video. Award-winning drama, engaging action, and faithfully staying true to the spirit and tone of iconic interactive experiences are now the expectation or new bar for a new high-profile videogame to TV adaptations.

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Announced in 2022, a live-action God of War series from Sony Pictures TV and Amazon MGM Studios entered production - with the series set to follow in the footsteps of the most recent games. The story follows Kratos, now in the Norse realm of Midgard, looking after his son Atreus as they embark on a mission to spread his recently departed wife's ashes from the highest peak.

Those who have played God of War and the sequel, God of War Ragnarok, on PC or PlayStation 5 will undoubtedly be excited about the possibility of a new TV series - especially when the games are incredibly cinematic. It might be time to temper those expectations, as the TV adaptation is in trouble.

According to a new report by Deadline, showrunner and executive producer Rafe Judkins has been removed from the project alongside writers and executive producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus. Multiple scripts for the first season of the God of War TV series have been thrown out, and the show is now "starting over." According to sources at Sony and Amazon, the show will be taken in a "different creative direction," with Deadline stating that both companies praised the completed scripts.

A different direction could mean several things, such as changing the setting from Midgard to the Olympus setting of the first action-heavy games in the franchise or moving away from Kratos entirely to focus on a more ensemble cast like we saw in Fallout. Fans of the games will be pleased to learn that Santa Monica Studio's Cory Barlog and Yumi Yang remain on board as Executive Producers; however, the plan is to start from the beginning and hire a new team of writers.