God of War star Christopher Judge is calling out Amazon over its upcoming live-action adaptation, questioning why the company would acquire an enormously successful video game property only to seemingly ignore many of the people responsible for making it successful.
Judge, who has portrayed Kratos since 2018’s God of War, took aim at a broader Hollywood trend of adapting popular video games while replacing their original performers, writers, and other creatives.
Speaking at FanExpo, Judge laid out the problem rather bluntly.
“You have this pre-existing, successful property, and the first thing you do is not hire anyone associated with it,” Judge said.
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Judge’s argument strikes directly at one of the strangest aspects of Hollywood’s current obsession with video game adaptations. Studios are spending enormous amounts of money acquiring franchises because those franchises already have huge audiences, successful stories, recognizable characters, and established creative identities.
Then, after acquiring them, Hollywood often seems determined to prove it knows how to handle those properties better than the people who made them successful.
Christopher Judge Questions Amazon’s God of War Decisions
Amazon’s upcoming series is adapting the Norse era of God of War, which began with Sony Santa Monica’s acclaimed 2018 game and continued with God of War Ragnarök in 2022.
Those games didn’t simply continue the franchise.
They reinvented it.
Kratos was transformed from the rage-fueled Spartan warrior of the original Greek saga into an older father attempting to control the anger and violence that defined his past while raising his son, Atreus.
Judge’s performance was central to that transformation. But his concern isn’t simply that Amazon chose another actor to play Kratos. He’s questioning why the writers responsible for creating this version of God of War weren’t brought aboard to write Amazon’s version.
Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus in Amazon’s God of War series – Amazon
“When Amazon was finally approved and announced and they didn’t hire any of the God of War writers… what are you thinking?” Judge said.
He then pointed out just how much experience those writers have with the property.
“These guys have been immersed in this world for 20 years. But someone’s going to know better?”
That final question might sum up the entire problem. Amazon isn’t adapting God of War because the games failed. Amazon wants God of War because the games were enormously successful.
Kratos holds the head of Mimir in God of War – PlayStation
The 2018 installment won Game of the Year at The Game Awards and helped transform an already-popular PlayStation franchise into one of Sony’s flagship prestige properties.
So why wouldn’t the people who understand that world be among the first people Amazon wants involved?
Cory Barlog Is Involved — But Amazon Still Went Outside the Games for Its Writers
There is an important distinction to make.
Amazon hasn’t completely removed the game’s creative leadership from the project.
Cory Barlog, who directed 2018’s God of War and has been one of the most important creative figures behind the franchise’s modern incarnation, is attached to the television series as an executive producer.
But Barlog isn’t running the series.
A screenshot from “God of War” Ragnarök (2024), Santa Monica Studio
Veteran television writer Ronald D. Moore is serving as showrunner. Moore has an extensive résumé that includes Battlestar Galactica, Outlander, and For All Mankind.
This also isn’t Amazon’s first attempt at getting the adaptation off the ground.
The original version was being developed by The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins alongside Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby.
That incarnation ultimately fell apart in 2024 despite scripts reportedly having already been completed, with Amazon and Sony deciding to take the series in another creative direction.
Moore was subsequently brought aboard.
A screenshot from God of War Ragnarök (2024), Santa Monica Studio
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There’s nothing inherently wrong with bringing experienced television writers into the project. Video games and television are different mediums, and successfully adapting material from one to another requires understanding how television works.
But Judge’s criticism raises an obvious question: Why does that have to mean excluding the writers who already understand God of War?
There is no reason an experienced television showrunner couldn’t work alongside writers and creatives responsible for the games. Instead, Hollywood repeatedly appears to approach adaptations as though the original creators need to hand their work over to people who know how to make “real” television.
Judge clearly isn’t buying that mentality.
This Isn’t Christopher Judge Complaining Because He Didn’t Get Cast
There is another important piece of context surrounding Judge’s criticism.
He hasn’t acted bitter about another performer being selected to play Kratos.
Quite the opposite.
Ryan Hurst, who portrayed Thor in God of War Ragnarök, was originally selected to portray Kratos in Amazon’s live-action series before having to step away after an injury. Judge publicly praised the decision, having worked with Hurst on God of War Ragnarok, where the Sons of Anarchy actor played Thor.
He called Hurst a “magnificent choice” and made clear that he respected both Hurst as an actor and his connection to the God of War franchise.
Ryan Hurst and Kratos from God of War – Amazon MGM Studios
That makes it significantly harder to dismiss Judge’s latest comments as nothing more than an actor angry that Hollywood didn’t give him the live-action role.
His argument is bigger than himself.
Judge is questioning why Hollywood’s default approach seems to be replacing the people who already made these properties work. And The Last of Us was his perfect example.
The Last of Us Proved Judge’s Point in an Unexpected Way
HBO’s The Last of Us was unquestionably a commercial success in its first season. But Judge’s criticism isn’t necessarily about whether the television show succeeded. It’s about why Hollywood assumes replacing the original performers is inherently necessary.
“The Last of Us, love Pedro [Pascal], [but] were they better than the game cast?” Judge asked.
That’s a very different argument than simply claiming Pascal was bad (though an argument can certainly be made…). Judge specifically said he loves Pascal. His question is whether changing actors actually improved the material.
The Last of Us promo image – HBO Max
That becomes particularly interesting considering how faithfully portions of HBO’s adaptation recreated Naughty Dog’s original game.
“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,” Judge said.
There are legitimate reasons why a video game actor might not reprise a character in live action. Age can be a factor. Physical appearance can be a factor. The demands of a live-action production are different from voice acting and motion capture.
But modern AAA games have increasingly blurred that distinction.
A screenshot of Bella Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us HBO Series – HBO Max
Christopher Judge didn’t merely provide Kratos’ voice. He physically performed the character through motion capture. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson likewise weren’t simply sitting inside recording booths reading dialogue for The Last of Us.
These were performances.
Judge is asking why Hollywood so frequently treats those performances as placeholders until a television or movie star can take over.
God of War Is Already Facing Major Changes
Judge’s comments also arrive as Amazon’s adaptation has reportedly encountered significant casting upheaval.
Ryan Hurst reportedly suffered a serious bicep injury during production that required surgery and subsequently departed the Kratos role.
Dave Bautista has since reportedly emerged as a candidate to replace him.
Kratos and Dave Bautista – Sony; Marvel
Amazon is also reportedly expected to recast Atreus and Thrud for the second season as the series moves forward in time, with older actors taking over the characters.
The series has already received a two-season commitment and is expected to move through the Norse storyline established by the two modern games.
That means Amazon could potentially be dealing with several significant cast changes while adapting a story whose characters and performances are already firmly established in the minds of millions of players.
A screenshot from “God of War” (2018), Santa Monica Studios
None of this automatically means Amazon’s God of War will fail.
Ronald D. Moore has an impressive television résumé. Cory Barlog’s involvement provides at least some direct connection to the games. And Amazon has demonstrated with Fallout that it is capable of producing a successful adaptation of a beloved gaming franchise.
But Judge’s criticism is still difficult to dismiss.
Hollywood Wants Successful Franchises — Just Not Always the People Who Made Them Successful
For decades, Hollywood had an abysmal track record with video game adaptations.
Studios frequently seemed embarrassed by the games they were adapting.
Characters were radically changed. Stories were discarded. Costumes were redesigned. Lore was ignored.
The underlying assumption often appeared to be that Hollywood filmmakers understood storytelling better than video game developers.
A scene from Halo Season 2 (2024), Paramount+
That mentality has begun changing.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Fallout, The Last of Us, and other successful adaptations have demonstrated that enormous audiences exist for these franchises when studios respect what people already love about them.
But Judge’s comments highlight another part of that equation.
Respecting the source material shouldn’t simply mean recreating recognizable costumes, locations, and scenes. It should also mean respecting the people who made that source material work.
Amazon didn’t pursue God of War because the franchise needed Hollywood to save it.
It pursued God of War because Sony Santa Monica had already created an enormously successful franchise with characters, stories, performances, and a world millions of people loved.
Kratos vs. Thor in God of War Ragnarok – Santa Monica Studios
Judge’s question therefore deserves an answer.
“These guys have been immersed in this world for 20 years. But someone’s going to know better?”
Hollywood has spent decades acting like the answer is yes. Maybe it’s time studios started asking whether that’s actually true.
How do you feel about Christopher Judge and his comments on the Amazon God of War? Sound off and let us know!
