God of War TV Series Hitting the Reset Button After Departure of Showrunner and Producers

The nascent God of War TV series previously announced for Prime Video is hitting the reset button. A report by Deadline separately confirmed by IGN reveals that Sony Pictures and Amazon MGM are planning to hire a new writers room following the departure of showrunner Rafe Judkins and executive producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus, who are said to have written several scripts for the show's first season. According to the report, Sony and Amazon are apparently looking to take the series in a new creative direction, though it's unclear what that direction might be.

Indeed, little is known about the God of War TV series, which looks to still be early in development after first being announced back in 2022. The original announcement revealed that it would be a live-action series set in the Norse realm of MIdgard, putting it firmly in the God of War 2018 era. Judkins, who is also showrunner on The Wheel of Time, was confirmed to be helming the show, with Sony Santa Monica creative director Cory Barlog service as an executive producer.

In an early 2024 update, Sony confirmed that writing was underway on the God of War series, though it revealed no additional info. While Judkins has since departed, IGN understands that Barlog is still involved with the show as an executive producer. Judkins, for his part, remains on an overall deal with Sony Pictures and is focusing on new development in addition to his work on The Wheel of Time. One way or another, it seems as it'll be a while before we finally get to see Kratos in live action, though IGN understands that Sony Pictures and Prime Video are still commited to continuing development.

In the meantime, work continues apace on adaptations of PlayStation's other franchises. The Last of Us Season 2, which released its first trailer in September, is expected to be out in September. PlayStation is also working on a live-action Ghost of Tsushima movie.

If you're dying to see Kratos in action, there's always God of War Ragnarok, which recently arrived on PC. And of course you can check out all the rest of the biggest TV shows releasing in 2024.

Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.