God Of War Prime Video Series Reveals First Image Of Kratos And Atreus In Live-Action

Now here's a bit of news that'll make anyone want to shout "Skjalfa." (That's nerdy gamer talk for "shiver, shake, or quiver," as fans know well.) Prime Video's upcoming "God of War" TV series has already amassed a pretty impressive cast list, with video game veteran and "Ragnarök" Thor voice actor Ryan Hurst playing our demigod big boi Kratos and Callum Vinson portraying his irrepressible son Atreus. But having all the talent in the world is only half the battle — the other half involves actually putting it together in a way that'll welcome newcomers while also living up to the incredibly high standards of the diehards.

We now have our first official look at what the live-action video game adaptation will actually look like. In an announcement celebrating the start of production, Prime Video released a new image of the show's two main leads in action, which you can see above. It's an awfully familiar sight for anyone who's played the original games, particularly 2018's "God of War" and its follow-up "Ragnarök." We see Hurst in pitch-perfect makeup as Kratos observing Vinson's Atreus shooting a bow and arrow. It's one of those famous "training" moments that Atreus eventually tires of, even as his no-nonsense father insists on being ready for anything at any time.

Obviously, the final product will look quite different from this staged photo, but it's a fantastic indicator of the approach that showrunner Ronald D. Moore intends to take with this adaptation, as well as a promising sign of what fans can anticipate from this new adventure.

Short of actually summoning the half-man, half-god Kratos and his reckless son Atreus down from Norse mythology, this feels like the next best thing. Like any high-profile video game adaptation, all eyes are inevitably on a project of this magnitude in the hopes that its creative team will remain faithful to the source material that created so many fans in the first place. Our first indications of Prime Video's "God of War" show would seem to quell any doubts about that, at least in terms of the look and feel of the series.

I mean, that sure looks like Kratos and Atreus to me! Again, this is clearly a promotional photo at the very start of filming and will ultimately go through a lengthy post-production process. In other words, expect the color and grading and makeup effects to undergo a certain amount of change by the time we begin seeing actual stills and footage from the series many months from now. In the meantime, we get to imagine how the rest of the assembled cast will embody their respective roles alongside our two heroes. That includes Marvel and "Game of Thrones" actor Ed Skrein as Baldur, Mandy Patinkin as chief antagonist Odin, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri, Danny Woodburn as Brok, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, and Max Parker as Heimdall.

The show doesn't have an official premiere date just yet, so stay tuned for more "God of War" updates!