Amazon has started production on its live-action God of War series and released the first production photo online. The photo features Kratos, played by Ryan Hurst, standing behind Atreus, played by Callum Vinson. And uh…it looks like a pre-taped SNL skit.
On February 27, Amazon MGM Studios put out a press release announcing that filming on the long-in-development God of War live-action series had officially begun in Culver City, California. The series is being led by Ronald D. Moore, who is not only the live-action adaptation’s showrunner but also an executive producer and writer on the series. The series features Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri, and Danny Woodburn as Brok.
To help get people excited about the series going into full production, Amazon shared the first photo from the set, giving us our first look at Kratos and his son Atreus in live-action. And my first reaction upon seeing it was to go “Oh…no…”
Father and Son. Behold your first look at Kratos and Atreus in the God of War series now in production for @PrimeVideo. Their journey to the highest peak begins. pic.twitter.com/vOkD1SiJ3q
— Amazon MGM Studios (@AmazonMGMStudio) February 27, 2026
Kratos, in particular, looks rough in live-action. In a game, his design can be exaggerated, but here he’s just a dude who looks like he’s cosplaying as his favorite dad warrior. Something about how pristine he looks, coupled with his pose here, just has big “SNL host doing a pre-recorded studio bit that isn’t very funny” energy. I don’t know. Perhaps Kratos’ oddball design is just not going to translate well to live-action TV.
Atreus, on the other hand, looks fine, if not a tad out of place, standing next to Kratos as he takes on a pose and expression that looks like me while scanning for leftovers in the fridge at 2 in the morning.
Ronald D. Moore is a very talented writer and showrunner. And Amazon is no doubt throwing as much money as needed at this show in an effort to make it a success. So perhaps this first image is just a bad tease of what could be something that I end up enjoying as much as the Fallout show. But for now, based on this first image, I’m nervous about the final product. God of War on Amazon has already been picked up for a second season. No release date for season one has been given. It is expected to arrive in early 2027.