The first official image from Amazon Prime Video’s live-action adaptation of ‘God of War‘ was revealed on February 27. But while some people were excited to see the smash-hit game get real-life casting, the game’s creator and industry legend, David Jaffe, isn’t thrilled about it.
The iconic game developer saw the stills and posted his reaction in a YouTube video, and it was easy to see he wasn’t feeling confident. The adaptation stars Ryan Hurst as Kratos, alongside Callum Vinson as his son, Atreus. But while some are criticizing the show, the man who started it all has mixed views over the whole thing.
What Did David Jaffe Actually Say?
In his reaction, Jaffe wasn’t one to hold back. He straight-up called the image a “dumb f***king image,” and took personal offense to see the character he made looking so flat. As for why he didn’t like it, Jaffe mentioned that the lighting was flat while the ‘Ghost of Sparta‘ was looking stupid, and for a new audience, this wasn’t the ideal look.
But that wasn’t all. Unlike the games, the ‘God of War‘ wasn’t looking heroic at all. Instead, Jaffe said it looked like Kratos was “shitting in the woods.” But it wasn’t just Kratos that he was dissatisfied with. He wasn’t happy with how Atreus turned out, either, and mentioned how Vinson looked totally out of his element holding the bow.
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The God of War creator believes that had it been a parody series, then this casting and the overall acting would have made sense. But if the series were trying to be a serious adaptation and not just a “God of War: Dumb and Dumber” edition, then neither actor was looking interesting or appealing in the shot.
Jaffe Still Hasn’t Given Up On The Adaptation
But while Jaffe made his disappointment clear, he still has hope for the series. According to him, the production is doing its job as intended, with only the marketing not living up to the mark. Not to mention, the showrunner Ronald D. Moore, who has been behind shows such as ‘Battlestar Galactica‘ and ‘Outlander,‘ was even praised by Jaffe.
Jaffe believes that while the show will be good, the marketing team needs to do better. Given the involvement of ‘God of War‘ writer Cory Barlog as a producer, Jaffe thinks that the in-universe storytelling would be good. But he still has reservations on the casting side of things.
According to him, while Hurst doesn’t seem like the perfect fit for Kratos at first glance, he has faith that it might very well turn out like Tobey Maguire playing Peter Parker. Nobody expected back in 2002 that Maguire would play the role that perfectly, but now it is iconic. Jaffe hopes Hurst can repeat that.
What Do The Fans Think About The Casting So Far?
The ‘God of War‘ fandom was split after the first reveal of the teaser. While some were happy with the production quality, others were of the same opinion as Jaffe. It didn’t take them long to go on social media, mocking the image, and some even wondered if it was AI-generated.
One user on Instagram even compared it to “bring your dad to school day.” Hurst didn’t respond much and simply wrote, “Don’t believe everything you see on the Internet, kids.“
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The series has already received a two-season order from Amazon and is being produced by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, and Tall Ship Productions. Filming has just begun, meaning the final product could look vastly different once post-production is complete.
