Sony 'Considering An R-Rated God Of War Movie'
The muscular might of Kratos could be about to slash his way onto the silver screen with the Blades of Chaos. New rumours suggest Sony could be getting ready to bring a God of War movie to life and give the long-running PlayStation staple a live-action adaptation.
Since 2005, we've come to know and love the gruff Kratos, aka the Ghost of Sparta, as he's hacked through Greek mythology. That era came to an end with 2018's God of War reboot, which threw Kratos into Norse mythology and set the ball rolling for a new generation of games.
With a new love for that bald brute - and all eyes on the tentatively titled God of War: Ragnarok - it was only a matter of time before Sony decided to take the fan-favourite gaming goliath into a whole new medium. Unfortunately, video game movies don't exactly have the best track record thanks to the likes of Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia, and 2018's Tomb Raider hardly being the cream of the box office crop. The Milla Jovovich-led Resident Evil movies were the most financially successful for a time, while newcomers including Sonic the Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu have shown all is not lost with video game movies.
God of War movie: What do we know?
The idea of a God of War movie actually started doing the rounds alongside the first game in 2005. Since then, the idea has struggled to lock down a proper team of writers or a director, meaning it's continued to slip into development hell. Perhaps the biggest hint of what's to come is a 2018 interview with Steven DeKnight. As well as working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, DeKnight is known as the creator of Starz's Spartacus series.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, DeKnight told the site, "It's funny because when I sat down with the Sony PlayStation people, one of the first things we both said is R-rated because I always use the original Conan the Barbarian as my touchstone, that it needs to be R-rated.
"I don't think there's a way to tell that story and make it PG, nor should it be. And thankfully because of Deadpool, people are much more willing to try that R-rated there with genre work now, again. So, yeah, without a doubt R-rated. I mean not on as far as Spartacus, that was more NC-17, but definitely R-rated".
Daniel Craig was once offered the role of Kratos and turned it down, leaving us to imagine who could take on the role of the skinhead Spartan if God of War makes the leap from consoles. There have been unsubstantiated reports Gerard Butler has been cast as Kratos, and given his history with 300, it's a casting we're totally here for it.
For now, everything needs to be taken with more than just a little pinch of salt. Then again, the number of live-action PlayStation projects being churned out right now is growing at an exponential rate. There's Tom Holland playing Nathan Drake in the long-troubled Uncharted movie, while Neil Druckmann is working on a gritty reimagining of The Last of Us for HBO.
God of War movie: Will it happen?
More recently, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra told CNBC that the newly founded PlayStation Productions will provide a synergy between game and film. The studio is working on "no less" than three movies and seven shows based on Sony IPs. Although there's plenty of scope for what these could be (we're praying for Crash Bandicoot), God of War simply has to be in there somewhere.
Even though God of War is a frankly perfect fit for live-action, there's sure to be a debate on whether Kratos is better suited to being on the big screen or as a Game of Thrones-esque series. Interestingly, God of War Director Cory Barlog said he'd like to see a God of War Netflix series that would focus on the latest era of the franchise as Kratos and Atreus make their way through the snowy plains of Norse mythology. This presumably comes off the back of The Witcher being one of the most successful video game adaptations of all time and already spawning its own universe of spin-offs on Netflix.
At the end of last year, industry insider and well-known leaker Daniel Richtman also claimed Sony was making a move on a God of War movie. As it stands, there's no official confirmation on a God of War movie, which period of history it would be set in, and whether DeKnight's dreams of an R-rated outing will ever come to pass. Either way, consider us our interest suitably piqued.
Stay up to date with all the latest esports and gaming news by checking out our social channels here: Twitter | Facebook | Discord
Images via Sony
