Encouraged by the success of Fallout, Amazon Prime Video is actively developing several other video game adaptations, including projects based on Mass Effect, Wolfenstein, Warhammer 40,000, and a second season of its Secret Level animated anthology series.
At SDCC 2025 this past July, Ronald D. Moore, showrunner of the upcoming God of War TV series, revealed that he plans to begin production on the adaptation in 2026 at the earliest. With this schedule in mind, it's certainly possible that casting is underway, and recent reports suggest there is a shortlist of ten actors being considered for the lead role of Kratos.
John Campea, former host of AMC Movie News and Collider Movie Talk, and current host of the John Campea Show podcast, has claimed that the shortlist includes the following names:
- Henry Cavill
- Winston Duke
- Joe Manganiello
- Christopher Judge (the current video game voice of Kratos)
- Manu Bennett
- Jason Momoa
- Travis Fimmel
- Oliver Ritchers
- Dave Bautista
- Paul Levesque
Despite hilarious memes currently circulating on X/Twitter, rapper-turned-podcaster Joe Budden is not being considered.
Staying within the confines of the above shortlist, the big question is: who would make the best live-action Kratos?
Henry Cavill is already leading several Amazon projects, including the ambitious Warhammer 40,000 live-action series, a live-action Voltron film, and a Highlander remake that recently shifted from Lionsgate to Amazon MGM. While Amazon clearly trusts Cavill with major franchises, it seems improbable that he would be tasked with anchoring yet another at the same time.
While Christopher Judge is the voice of Kratos in the games, it's unlikely that he would land the physically demanding role due to his age and injury history.
Among God of War fans, the frontrunners appear to be Joe Manganiello and Jason Momoa, both of whom have the physical stature and commanding presence to portray the Ghost of Sparta.
Moore has confirmed that the series will skip the Greek era of the God of War games and instead focus on the more recent Norse mythology storyline from the PlayStation-exclusive games.
Regarding the adaptation, Moore said, “We’re in the scripts phase, still working on them. It’s gone very well — we have a good team. It’s been fascinating to sink my teeth into… the more I got into it, the more impressed I was with the breadth and depth of the mythology involved in this video game.”
He also confirmed that Amazon has already committed to two seasons, with the first consisting of ten episodes. Moore emphasized that he is working closely with game director Cory Barlog to ensure the series remains faithful to the original story and its mythology.