Prime Video's GOD OF WAR Series Will Reportedly Recast Atreus for Season 2
Prime Video's God of War TV series has already hit a few unexpected bumps during production, and now it sounds like another major change is on the way.
According to a new report, the series is expected to recast Atreus and another important young character for Season 2. While that might sound surprising at first, fans of the games will probably understand exactly why it's happening.
According to casting descriptions obtained by MP1ST (h/t Polygon), the actors playing Kratos' son Atreus and Thor's daughter Thrud in Season 1 are expected to be replaced with older teenage actors when the series moves into its second season.
That actually lines up with the story told across the acclaimed Norse saga. Between God of War (2018) and God of War: Ragnarok, several years pass, and Atreus goes through a noticeable growth spurt. Thrud also ages during that period, so casting older performers would make perfect sense if the show plans to follow the games.
Callum Vinson, best known for Chucky, is set to play Atreus in Season 1, while Island Austin (Insidious: Out of the Further) has been cast as a young Thrud. Both actors are currently pre-teens, but the reported casting descriptions for Season 2 are seeking performers between the ages of 14 and 17, pointing to a sizable time jump between seasons.
This isn't the only major casting shake-up the series has faced recently. Last month, reports revealed that Ryan Hurst, who had been cast as Kratos, had to step away from the production after suffering a serious bicep injury that prevented him from finishing filming.
According to those reports, four episodes had already been completed before the injury occurred. Those episodes will reportedly be scrapped and completely re-shot with a new actor taking over the role of the Ghost of Sparta and wielding the Leviathan Axe. That actor could end up being Dave Bautista.
It's also unclear whether Prime Video will still move forward with its original plan to film Seasons 1 and 2 back-to-back.
The live-action adaptation will bring the Norse-era God of War games to the screen and has assembled an impressive cast alongside Vinson.
Mandy Patinkin is set to play Odin, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson takes on Thor, Max Parker plays Heimdall, Teresa Palmer stars as Sif, Ed Skrein will portray Baldur, Sonya Walger has been cast as Freya, and Alastair Duncan returns to voice and play Mimir after portraying the beloved character in the games.
At this point, the search for a new Kratos is still underway, making it one of the biggest unanswered questions surrounding the production.
Even with the production setbacks, the reported recasting of Atreus and Thrud seems like something that would have been planned all along.
Prime Video still hasn't announced a release date for God of War, but with production changes continuing to unfold, it'll be interesting to see how the series ultimately comes together.