David Jaffe, the creator of the God of War video game franchise, has issued damning criticism of Amazon Prime Video’s first-look image of lead character Kratos in its forthcoming adaptation.
In a recent YouTube video, the video game designer ripped into the picture, which showed Ryan Hurst as the Spartan warrior Kratos, standing with his hands on his knees, watching his son Atreus (Callum Vinson) shoot a bow and arrow in the woods.
“Kratos in this pose with this expression, not the guy’s face, but this expression, he just looks stupid,” Jaffe, 54, opined. “If you’re going to reveal, to most people, a brand new character that you hope is going to carry your series, for the first time, and they’ve never really seen this before, and this is the way you introduce them?”
He considered that the character’s appearance might be a conscious decision to portray Kratos as more than vengeful and rage-filled. “Maybe they’re like, ‘Well, what we really want to focus on is the father-son story. And if we focus on him being like, Spartan rage, and all that, maybe people are like, ‘I don’t want to watch that show,’” he suggested.
“OK maybe. But then, at that point, could you find a picture that doesn’t look like he’s s***ting in the woods? Cause that’s what the picture looks like.”
“I’m sure everybody’s trying real hard, [but] it’s so dumb,” Jaffe said, laughing.
“But let’s be incredibly clear, okay?” he clarified. “Two things can be true. This can be a terrible image, and it is. It’s so bad in so many ways.”
He also emphasized that showrunner Ron Moore is “awesome” and “talented,” adding that he has no doubt the live-action series will ultimately be good.
The Independent has contacted Amazon for comment.
God of War was first released as a video game for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The earlier games in the series are based on Greek mythology and follow Kratos on his path of vengeance against the Olympian gods. The later games draw on Norse mythology and depict Kratos on a path toward redemption, introducing his son, Atreus, as they interact with various Norse gods and figures.
Amazon announced it had ordered a live-action series in 2022. The series, which is now in production in Vancouver, follows Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. 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, according to the series’ official logline.
A release date has not yet been announced.
