In some cases, the TV producers are bringing back a familiar video game voice actor to reprise their role in the show. In other cases, God of War has cast an exciting fresh face to play a major part.
Ryan Hurst As Kratos
Ryan Hurst has been cast to play the lead role of Kratos in Prime Video’s God of War TV series. Hurst has played a few other notable TV roles in prestige dramas, from Opie Winston in Sons of Anarchy to Beta in The Walking Dead. But perhaps most notably, he also appeared in the God of War video game franchise as a different character.
In God of War Ragnarök, Hurst played Thor, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award. This won’t be the first time that a video game actor has been cast in a different role in the TV adaptation. In HBO’s The Last of Us, the games’ Joel actor, Troy Baker, played David the cannibal’s right-hand man, James, and the games’ Ellie actor, Ashley Johnson, played Ellie’s previously unseen mother.
But it might be the first time that a supporting player from a video game has been promoted to the lead role of the adaptation. Having said that, Hurst is pretty spot-on casting for Kratos. Kratos is a stoic badass with a heavy heart, and Hurst’s most iconic roles (especially Opie) have exemplified that.
Callum Vinson As Atreus
The Norse-era God of War games introduced us to Atreus, Kratos and Faye’s son. Atreus was sheltered from his parents’ tragic past for most of his young life, but the games explore what happens when Kratos brings Atreus into his dark, violent world and teaches him how to handle himself.
The introduction of Atreus brought an emotional core to the God of War games. Kratos’ grief was a compelling emotional core in the original Greek-era games, but his relationship with Atreus focused the story on a key family dynamic. It gave God of War the same dramatic backbone that made The Last of Us so moving: a parent-child relationship, juxtaposed against this action-packed video game spectacle.
In the games, Atreus is voiced by Sunny Suljic, best known for his starring role in Jonah Hill’s directorial debut Mid90s and his supporting turn as Bob in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer. But in the TV show, Atreus will be played by up-and-coming child actor Callum Vinson, best known for his roles in Long Bright River and The Night Agent.
Teresa Palmer As Phoebe/Sif
Sif is a golden-haired goddess who was introduced in God of War Ragnarök. She’s the wife of Thor, the mother of Thrud, Modi, and Magni, and the sister-in-law of Baldur. She never trusted Odin, and constantly encouraged Thor to stand up to him. She also encouraged Thor to avenge their sons by killing Atreus, so she’s basically his Lady Macbeth-style manipulator.
In the games, Sif was voiced by Emily Rose, best known for her role as Elena Fisher in the Uncharted games. But in the TV show, she’ll be played by Teresa Palmer. Palmer first broke out when she made her film debut in Wolf Creek, but she’s since become a much bigger star with Hollywood roles in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, I Am Number Four, and The Fall Guy.
Award-nominated dramatic roles in Berlin Syndrome and Hacksaw Ridge have proven she has serious acting chops, and horror films like Warm Bodies and Lights Out have established her as a modern scream queen. The role of Sif seems to be in very safe hands with Palmer.
Max Parker As Heimdall
Heimdall, originally voiced by Scott Porter, is an ex-god and Watchman of Asgard who holds the title of the Herald of Ragnarök, so he naturally has a pretty important role in God of War Ragnarök. Heimdall’s ability to see into the future was very handy in his role as a watchman, but it also made him deeply distrustful of people, because he sees their true nature as soon as he meets them.
When Heimdall meets Atreus, he immediately starts antagonizing him and insulting him, which causes some friction with Kratos. It’ll be interesting to see what Max Parker does with the role opposite Hurst and Vinson in the TV adaptation. Parker is known for his roles as Sergeant Sullivan in Boots, Mikhail Tanner in Vampire Academy, and Luke Posner in the British soap opera Emmerdale.
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson As Thor
Image via Apple TV+
As Norse mythology and Marvel Comics fans will undoubtedly already know, Thor is the God of Thunder, the son of Odin, and the wielder of the magical hammer Mjölnir. But unlike Chris Hemsworth’s Avenger, this version of Thor is a brutish butcher who has apparently murdered a bunch of giants in cold blood. He’s not a good guy; in fact, in Ragnarök, he’s the main antagonist.
In the game, Thor was played by the TV show’s Kratos actor, Ryan Hurst. But in the TV show, since Hurst is busy in another role, he’ll be played by Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. Ólafsson is one of Hollywood’s go-to Icelandic actors, having played Sergei in Murder Mystery, Neils Brongus in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, and Ragnar the Rock in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
He’s perhaps best known for playing the towering Mr. Drummond in the second season of Severance. He’s a brilliant actor, but he’s also huge and intimidating, so he’s perfect for God of War’s villainous version of Thor.
Mandy Patinkin As Odin
The ruler of Asgard, the All-Father of the Nine Realms, and the father of Thor and Baldur, Odin is the overarching villain of the Norse-era God of War games. After his unseen role as the puppet-master of 2018’s God of War, Odin had an on-screen role as the primary antagonist in Ragnarök. Suffice to say, this isn’t the kind, warm, benevolent Odin of the MCU.
In the games, Odin was voiced by Richard Schiff from The West Wing, but a different TV legend is playing him in the live-action series. Mandy Patinkin, best known to TV fans as Saul Berenson from Homeland and best known to movie fans as Inigo Montoya in the late, great Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride, will play Odin in Amazon’s God of War show.
Alastair Duncan As Mimir
Mimir is a former advisor to Odin, who claims to be the smartest man in the world. When Mimir’s peaceful agenda clashed with Odin’s ruthless desire for control, Odin imprisoned Mimir for 100 years. After Kratos finds Mimir, he asks to be beheaded and resurrected by the Witch of the Woods. Long story short: Mimir’s reanimated head ends up dangling from Kratos’ belt as he embarks on his adventures.
Since he’s tasked with delivering endless exposition, Mimir is a pretty thankless role. In the games, Alastair Duncan knocked that role out of the park, bringing plenty of personality and humor to his expository monologues. The TV producers have made the wise choice to bring back Duncan to reprise his role in the series.
Danny Woodburn As Brok
Best known as the Huldra Brothers, Brok and Sindri are two renowned dwarf blacksmiths, first appearing in 2018’s God of War game. They’re responsible for the creation of some of the gods’ most iconic weapons, including Thor’s hammer Mjölnir. They also forged Kratos’ Leviathan Axe, which they had originally made for his wife, Faye.
Brok and Sindri are like chalk and cheese, with polar opposite personalities. Brok is blunt and impolite, whereas Sindri is friendly and courteous. In the game, Brok was voiced by Robert Craighead, but in the TV show, he’ll be played by Danny Woodburn, who sitcom fanatics will recognize as Kramer’s sidekick Mickey Abbott from Seinfeld.
Jeff Gulka As Sindri
Brok’s brother Sindri was played by Adam J. Harrington. But in the TV show, he’ll be played by Jeff Gulka, who previously played Gibson Praise in The X-Files, Lucky in Stan Helsing, and Charlie in Stargate SG-1. Since a Vanir told him how contamination works, Sindri has been an obsessive germophobe, which helps him stand out as a character.
Ed Skrein As Baldur
Baldur is the son of Odin and Freya, the brother of Thor, and the main antagonist of 2018’s God of War game. Freya cast a spell of immortality on Baldur to protect him from death. The spell left him unable to feel pain, but also left him unable to feel pleasure. It makes him a formidable villain, and also a rich, complex character.
Lost’s Daniel Faraday, Jeremy Davies, played Baldur in the games, but Deadpool’s Ajax (a.k.a. Francis), Ed Skrein, is playing him in the TV show. It’s an interesting casting choice, because Ajax’s main superpower was a high tolerance for pain, so he’s a very similar character to Baldur.