For years, a God of War live-action adaptation has been rumored to be in the works. Originally rearing its head as an adaptation of God of War's Greek saga, the infamous in-development adaptation never saw the light of day, but that's finally about to change. Just a few weeks ago, Amazon confirmed that it's currently working on a live-action God of War series that, according to its official description, seems to be following the events of God of War 2018 pretty closely. And while it may be tempting for Amazon to rush straight to the climactic battles of God of War Ragnarok, it's vital that the show takes its time.
Though it may have lost out to Elden Ring for Game of the Year, God of War Ragnarok is a brilliant sequel that ties a neat bow on the Norse saga while providing plenty of opportunities for the series to grow in the future. Wrapping up the Norse saga's character dynamics and overarching plot points in a satisfying, climactic way, it seems only natural that Amazon would want to take its audience straight to the events of Ragnarok, but doing so would be detrimental.
Amazon's God of War Series Needs to Take Its Time
In Amazon's official description of its upcoming God of War series, a brief plot synopsis is given. The show is set to follow Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a quest to spread their wife and mother's ashes, seemingly following the events of God of War 2018. This is already a lot of content for Amazon to unpack. The story of God of War 2018 is a dense one, packed to the brim with world-building and interwoven character dynamics, all of which are integral aspects of what made the game so great.
Amazon needs to take its time with its God of War series to ensure that nothing important is missed out or skipped over. While side stories and all the game's free-roam segments can be creatively skipped, there are a lot of moments in God of War 2018 that simply need to stay, and it's going to take quite a few hours to deliver those moments in a satisfying way. God of War 2018's main campaign is around 20 hours long, and it all contains dialogue and plot beats that are integral to the God of War story, making it a compelling and complex narrative.
On top of the events of God of War 2018, Amazon also needs to show at least some of Kratos' Greek backstory. While not all of God of War's Greek saga is essential viewing to understanding the events and character motivations of the Norse saga, a general overview is necessary if audiences are expected to understand and care about Kratos' emotional state at the start of the story. The easiest way for the Amazon show to do this is by delivering a few key Greek moments in flashback form, though this will still take up screen-time.
Some of the most beloved elements of the rebooted God of War series are its characters and story, and in order to make the live-action show as acclaimed, Amazon needs to take its time to flesh out each character, their backstory, and their complex motivations. While Amazon may be tempted to rush straight to the big battles and well-known Norse gods, it's vital that the God of War show doesn't just jump to God of War Ragnarok, as the game's events just won't hit as hard if audiences don't care about the relationships that drive them.
God of War Ragnarok is available on PS4 and PS5.