Sony and Amazon Studios are going back to square one with their highly-anticipated live-action series adaptation of the popular video game “God of War,” as showrunner and executive producer Rafe Judkins have exited the project, alongside writers and executive producers, Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus, TheWrap has learned.
The development comes as an effort to move in a different creative direction.
In the meantime, Judkins will remain under an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television, where he will focus on new development. He will also maintain his status as the showrunner of Prime Video’s fantasy drama “The Wheel of Time.”
Santa Monica Studio’s creative director Cory Barlog will stay on the project as executive producer with PlayStation Production’s Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan, and Santa Monica Studio’s Yumi Yang and Vertigo’s Roy Lee.
News that Prime Video was ordering the live-action series was announced in December 2022.
The video game “God of War” follows Kratos, the titular god, who, after exiling himself from his blood-soaked past in Ancient Greece, hangs up his weapons forever in the Norse realm of Midgard. 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, as well as force Kratos to battle new gods and monsters for the fate of the world.
“’God of War’ is a compelling, character-driven franchise that we believe will captivate our global customers as much with its expansive and immersive worlds as its rich storytelling,” Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios, said in a previous statement at the time the show was greenlit. “We are honored to share in the adventure of exploring the God of War mythology in such a momentous way with Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, and Santa Monica Studio.”
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