Prime Video's God of War streaming series has added two actors in the key roles of Odin and Thor, expanding the influence of 2022's popular entry in the game franchise, God of War: Ragnarok. Fans should be quite pleased with the casting, as it brings in two powerhouse performers to the characters.
First up, Mandy Patinkin, perhaps best known for his role as Inigo Montoya in beloved fantasy film The Princess Bride, will bring the gravitas he's shown in many of his films to Odin, king of the Aesir, AKA the Norse gods. Odin is the primary antagonist of God of War: Ragnarok, and he seeks a way to survive the end of reality and its subsequent rebirth in the eponymous cataclysm.
At the same time, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, known to Severance viewers as the brutally menacing Lumon enforcer Mr. Drummond, has been cast as Thor in the streaming series. He'll be a very different god of thunder from Chris Hemsworth's MCU portrayal, much closer to how he appears in Norse mythology. He's a central antagonist of God of War: Ragnarok as the father and brother of some of the gods previously slain by Kratos and his son Atreus.
Kratos and son's murder of Thor's beloved brother is also the inciting incident of the events of Ragnarok, a story that echoes Norse mythology, in which Ragnarok is set in motion by Loki's murder of Baldur. In the game, this event calls down the wrath of Odin and his fellow Aesir. In a fun turn of events, Thor's voice actor, Ryan Hurst, has been cast as Kratos for the series.
The God of War streaming series doesn't have a premiere date yet. While we wait, check out our picks for the best video game movies of all time.
