Kratos actor Christopher Judge has a bit of a bone to pick with adaptations of video games like God of War, particularly when they don’t involve the people who created the games in the first place.
When speaking on a panel at a FanExpo convention earlier this summer, Judge got on the subject of video game adaptations. The actor expressed frustrations over the adaptations not using the cast and creatives for the games, especially when they aren’t changing much about their stories. He specifically pointed to God of War, feeling baffled that the writers of the games weren’t hired to also write the show.
“My problem with all game adaptations [is] you have this pre-existing, successful property, and the first thing you do is not hire anyone associated with it,” said Judge. “The Last of Us — love Pedro [Pascal]— were they better than the game cast? I saw a stage reading that they did. It was unreal. I have no idea why you don’t take that cast, those writers, especially when you are going to do episodes that are shot-for-shot remakes of the game.
“When Amazon [announced the God of War TV series] and they didn’t hire any of the God of War writers… what are you thinking? These guys have been immersed in this world for 20 years. But someone’s going to know better?”
Longtime God of War creative Cory Barlog is an executive producer on the show alongside PlayStation boss Hermen Hulst, but it’s unclear how involved they are. The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann was a showrunner, writer, and director on the first two seasons of HBO’s adaptation of the Naughty Dog series, so he was an integral piece of the process. It’s unclear if Barlog is as hands-on as Druckmann, or if he’s given the executive producer credit just because of his history with the game franchise.
Judge’s comments also come at a rather interesting time. Filming was shut down on the God of War TV series in July after the show’s Kratos actor, Ryan Hurst, was injured while performing a stunt on set. The actor’s injury was so severe that production has opted to recast the role, with Dave Bautista recently entering talks with the studio to inherit the part. Filming is expected to restart this fall. Some hoped that the show would take this opportunity to cast Judge as the live-action Kratos, as he has the build, voice, and a deep understanding of the character. However, it doesn’t appear that this will be the case.
Judge will reprise his role in God of War Laufey early next year and is expected to lead a new Kratos-focused God of War game after that. Sony Santa Monica is also working on remakes of the original God of War trilogy, which will see original Kratos actor TC Carson returning to the role.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
