This article may contain spoilers for the God of War TV show for those who haven’t played the games.
Summary
AGod of WarTV series is being developed for Amazon Prime Video. The adaptation has experienced some production issues since its announcement. A film was in the works as early as 2005, but it has since morphed into a television series. The project suffered setbacks after a number of scripts were thrown out in favor of a new creative direction. Sony and Amazon finally found thatcreative voice inStar Trekproducer Donald Moore.
Kratos, the titular god of war himself, has been holding up in the frosty fjords of the Nordic realm for his last two video game outings —God of War(2018) andGod of War: Ragnarök(2022). With his half-giant son, Atreus (a.k.a. Loki), he has torn through the Norse pantheon, laying waste to another set of power-crazed psychopaths. These newer titles took a more emotional approach to Kratos' story, centering the narrative around the loss of his wife, Faye, and the psychological fallout of Odin’s cruelty to the nine realms. If the series decides to take inspiration from these recent installments, then the creators should consider holding onto actorRichard Schiff,who played a significant voice role in those games.
At the heart of the story in these two games wasKratos and Atreus' relationship as father and son. Both main titles follow their journey as the two attempt to understand clues left behind by Faye, not just about her burial, but also as to why the giants are virtually extinct and who is to blame for that genocide. It all leads up to an eventful confrontation at the beginning ofGod of War: Ragnarökbetween the duo and Thor, portrayed in this universe as a violent, towering monster that is built for one purpose: destruction. If Thor is the brawn, the brains of the operation and overarching antagonist of the games, Odin, makes a surprise appearance, voiced by Schiff.
Odin Doesn’t Derive His Power From Physical Strength
Odin’s introduction at the opening ofRagnarökwas a wise creative decision from Santa Monica Studios. So much mystery and intrigue had been built uparound the king of the Norse godsin the first game. Kratos' companion Mimir described him as the worst of the gods: a cruel, merciless, murdering tyrant who brought whole worlds to his heel. With this reputation, it was slightly surprising to see a weedy, thin old man in Odin’s first onscreen appearance. It subverted people’s expectations, and subtly disarmed players by giving them a quiet, articulate negotiator, rather than the violent terror that had been advertised.
In an interesting parallel to Kratos and Atreus, gamers got to see the emotional and psychological control Odin had over Thor. It lent the antagonist greater authority in the scene.Thor could have crushed himat any moment, but was clearly afraid of Odin’s abilities. Odin then proceeded to present, in his eyes, a good-faith truce. But for any player worth their salt, it was an obvious attempt to pour poison in Kratos' ear. The All-Father met his match with the stalwart and resilient Kratos, but it demonstrated to the audience that Odin’s reflexive form of attack is manipulation. As the story continued, Odin appeared in various negotiations, influenced by shifting alliances and feuds, all in an attempt to assume absolute control.
This interpretation reflected a key part of the gods' description in Norse mythology. In the MCU, a huge part of what was missing from Odin’s character was his cunning and persona as a trickster. Antony Hopkins did a fine job portraying a strong, imposing, and wise leader, but this only gave audiences a small glimpse into the All-Father’s personality.InGod of War,his charismatic and power-obsessed qualities are portrayed brilliantly. Admittedly, this is a more evil, menacing interpretation that deviates from Norse legend to fit in with the themes of theGod of Waruniverse. However, it conveys some of the most essential aspects of Odin’s identity: his thirst for knowledge, his inability to lose, his lust for power, and at all times, the execution of his master plan.
Don’t Let Richard Schiff Out Of Your Sight
In so many ways, Richard Schiff was perfect voice casting to play Odin in theGod of Warseries. The actor is most known for his Emmy-award-winning role asToby Ziegler onTheWest Wing.In the series, Schiff is the White House’s Communications Director, and portrays an intelligent, master political negotiator. Odin is of a similar breed, taking Atreus into his household and switching from the role of villain to misunderstood mentor. The All-Father attempts to warp the young Loki’s (Atreus) mind towards his purposes, trying to convince him that the Asgardians' bloody history is misrepresented, and his actions are all for a good cause.
Schiff also brings a great deal of nuance to the part, slowly weening out Odin’s paranoia and putting his thirst for knowledge front and center. There was one thing that Odin failed to master in the games, and that was his knowledge of what happens to gods when they die. He agonizes over it for the whole story, refusing to believe that the gods simply disappear when they die. He manipulates Atreus into helping him discover the secret. Schiff masterfully portrayed this, bringing a whole new dynamic to the All-Father.
Since Schiff is already an established onscreen presence, Amazon would be remiss not to allow Schiff to reprise his role on the series. Prime Video will be considering a range of people to cast in their show. Finn Wolfhard recently expressed a desire to play Atreus in an adaptation. It’s not too much of a stretch to see him as a live-action version of Sunny Suljic’s Atreus. But considering that Suljic is a fairly well-established screen actor, there would be a strong argument for keeping him in the part.TheGod of WarTV seriesdoesn’t need to look too far to find their casting for a retelling of the Norse Saga. Some actors in the video game cast, like Schiff, are already perfect.
