Amazon and Sony’s live-action God of War show is growing, with Max Parker now attached to play Heimdall, the quick-witted god of foresight and guardian of Asgard.
The Boots and Doctor Who veteran has officially signed on to play the lightning-fast god in the upcoming Prime Video TV adaptation of a classic video game series. He joins the small-but-expanding cast announced last week, which includes Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Teresa Palmer as Sif.
Like Palmer before him, Parker playing Heimdall adds more weight to the belief that the first season of the live-action debut for God of War will pull from characters and storylines that didn’t show up until late in the video game series’ timeline. While the Ghost of Sparta and his son, Atreus, set off on their Norse journey with God of War 2018, Heimdall and Sif don’t truly play their part in the story until the most recent entry, God of War Ragnarok. In other words, viewers may not want to expect to dive too deep into Kratos’ Greek origins in Season 1.
Heimdall is the scrappy son of Odin and one of the primary antagonists in the 2022 God of War game. Equipped with powers to see events just before they happen, the character is a major player in the events of the Norse mythology-inspired story. Parker is known for recently starring in shows such as Boots, Doctor Who, and Blood, Sex & Royalty. Movie fans may have caught him in 2020’s Love Sarah or 2024’s Strictly Confidential.
“God of War follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye,” the official synopsis says. “Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.”
The live-action God of War show is still without a release date as Sony and Amazon charge forward with its casting process. With the cast adding names for roles small and large, several major names remain, including Thor, Atreus, Freya, and Mimir. In the meantime, you can read up on why we think the project needs a new approach to violence to really work.
Photo by Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images for British GQ.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
