Prime Video’s God of War live-action series drew sharp criticism from the creator of the original video game.
Last week, the streamer dropped its first look at Kratos and Atreus in the upcoming TV series, starring Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson as the father-son duo.
On Saturday (March 1), David Jaffe, who directed the 2005 first installment, reacted to the image on his YouTube channel. The creator slammed Amazon for choosing a “terrible image” as the first look.
Highlights
- God of War creator David Jaffe blasted Amazon’s live-action first look, calling it a “terrible image.”
- Jaffe admitted that Kratos’ expression and pose in the image looked “stupid.”
- Despite criticism, Jaffe backed showrunner Ronald D. Moore as the adaptation added four new cast members this week.
“It’s so bad in so many ways,” he said.
David Jaffe reacted to the God of War live-action show’s first look
Image credits: Prime Video
Following the reveal of Ryan Hurst’s Kratos look, he faced severe backlash from fans on social media. However, Jaffe wasn’t concerned that the actor wasn’t a spitting image of the video game character.
Instead, he had a problem with the photo chosen as the first look. Citing Kratos’ expression and pose, he called it a “dumb f*ck*ng image.”
“Kratos in this pose with this expression, not the guy’s face, but this expression, he just looks stupid,” Jaffe said.
Image credits: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Since the photo introduced Kratos to the general audience, he felt the studio should have been more careful.
While he understood that the creative team likely wanted the first look to focus on “the father-son story,” he argued the streamer could’ve opted for a better image.
“At that point, could you find a picture that doesn’t look like he’s shi*ting in the woods? Cause that’s what the picture looks like,” he added.
David Jaffe supported God of War showrunner Ronald D. Moore
Image credits: Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Despite his vocal criticism of the live-action adaptation’s first glimpse, Jaffe extended his support to showrunner Ronald D. Moore.
In the same video, the 54-year-old game designer admitted that he was confident about the upcoming show’s quality because of Moore’s involvement.
“This guy is a juggernaut of a talented fellow. I have absolutely no doubt it is going to be a good show,” he said.
The showrunner has previously worked on hit shows, such as Battlestar Galactica and Outlander. However, Moore admitted he wasn’t familiar with the God of War games. As a result, several diehard fans were concerned about the adaptation’s faithfulness to the source material.
In an interview with IGN, Moore reassured fans that the TV series would “emulate the tone of the game,” describing the adaptation as an “epic journey” with a heartfelt story.
God of War cast added major Norse mythology characters
Image credits: @primevideo
Amid the online backlash over its first look, production on the live-action series has gained momentum. Last week, Prime Video announced that filming started on February 27 in Vancouver.
A few days later (on March 2), the streamer confirmed four new cast members who will play Norse mythology characters from the 2018 game.
Louis Cunningham has been cast as Modi, the middle child of Sif and Thor, with Ben Chapple playing his elder brother, Magni.
Image credits: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Island Austin is portraying Thrud, the couple’s youngest child. Lastly, Evelyn Miller was added as Gna, a fierce warrior and Odin’s Valkyrie commander.
The quartet will join Ed Skrein, Teresa Palmer, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Mandy Patinkin, who will bring to life the Norse pantheon gods: Baldur, Sif, Thor, and Odin, respectively.
Although it currently doesn’t have a confirmed release date, the series has already been renewed for a second season.
God of War will stream on Prime Video.