EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video‘s God of War series has found its Thor.
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Severance, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) has joined the cast of Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios’ TV adaptation of PlayStation’s ancient mythology-themed video game of the same name.
Thor is the God of Thunder, a mountain of a man who has weathered many a battle in his time, but whose actions in a war fought long ago now haunt his waking hours. Once the loyal soldier of Asgard and his father’s right-hand man, Thor is now but a shadow of his former self as he drowns himself in alcohol and tries not to think of the price he paid. Keeping his wife and children at arm’s length has only deepened his isolation, but the power (and danger) of the God of Thunder is still there just beneath the surface.
Ólafsson joins the previously announced series lead, playing Kratos, Ryan Hurst, who previously portrayed Thor in PlayStation’s God of War Ragnarök. For his performance, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award.
From writer, showrunner and executive producer Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, For All Mankind), God of War follows father and son, Kratos and 10-year-old Atreus, as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.
The cast also includes Teresa Palmer as Phoebe/Sif, Thor’s wife and the goddess of family, and Max Parker as Heimdall, the Watchman of Asgard and one of the sons of Odin.
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God of War is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions. In addition to Moore, executive producers include Maril Davis, Cory Barlog, Naren Shankar, Matthew Graham, Asad Qizilbash, Jeff Ketcham, Hermen Hulst, Roy Lee and Brad Van Arragon. Joe Menosky, Marc Bernardin, Tania Lotia and Ben McGinnis co-executive produce. Frederick E.O. Toye (Shōgun, The Boys) has signed on to direct the first two episodes.
Ólafsson can currently be seen in the MGM+ series Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, Severance and Your Friends and Neighbors, both from Apple TV, HBO’s Somebody Somewhere, and Netflix’s La Palma. Prior credits also include BBC One’s The Missing; the Icelandic series Trapped; BBC One’s The Tourist; ITV/Prime Video’s The Widow; AMC’s NOS4A2; Cinemax’s Quarry; HBO’s True Detective, and Netflix’s Lady Dynamite.
Upcoming projects include 121212, a heist series for Apple TV+; A Winter’s Journey for Sony Pictures Classics; and Blood on Snow, a feature film directed by Cary Fukunaga. He also stars and executive produces Reykjavík Fusion through his new Icelandic production hub, ACT4. Ólafsson is represented by Principal Entertainment and Conway Van Gelder Grant.
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