Amazon’s live-action God of War series is already lining up major roles for its second season, and the casting calls give away where the story is headed. The studio is looking for teenage versions of Atreus and Thrud, which points to a time jump between seasons and a Season 2 that moves directly into the events of God of War Ragnarok.
Quick answer: Season 1 adapts the 2018 God of War game, and Season 2 will adapt God of War Ragnarok, with older actors taking over Atreus and Thrud after a time jump.
Season 2 casting calls point to older Atreus and Thrud
The new calls are for roles codenamed Teen Joshua and Teen Ruth. Those are the same codenames Amazon used for the child versions of Atreus and Thrud in Season 1, so the studio is effectively recasting both characters as teenagers for the next chapter.
The age range makes the jump obvious. Season 1 searched for performers between nine and 12 years old. The Season 2 listings are looking for actors aged 14 to 17, a clear signal that time passes between the two seasons and that Atreus grows up on screen.
The role descriptions line up with the games. Teen Joshua is written as empathetic, brave, and curious about the world, eager to learn the truth of who he is after a journey that bonded him with his father but raised new questions. Teen Ruth is described as confident, intelligent, and sarcastic, wise beyond her years after an incident changed her life, with a close bond to her grandfather, the king, whom she believes will name her heir to the throne.
| Detail | Season 1 | Season 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Atreus (codename Joshua) | Callum Vinson (young) | New teen actor |
| Thrud (codename Ruth) | Island Austin (young) | New teen actor |
| Casting age range | 9 to 12 | 14 to 17 |
| Source game | God of War (2018) | God of War Ragnarok |
Both teen roles require comfort with physical combat, and Teen Joshua specifically calls for archery, in keeping with Atreus and his bow.
One game per season, the way The Last of Us handled it
The structure here mirrors how HBO adapted The Last of Us. Rather than stretching a single game across several seasons, Amazon appears to be giving each Nordic-era game its own season. Season 1 covers the 2018 game, in which Kratos and Atreus travel to spread the ashes of Faye, and Season 2 shifts to Ragnarok.
That approach also explains some creative tweaks. Thrud and her father, Thor, do not appear as antagonists until Ragnarok in the games, yet both look set to be introduced during Season 1 so the show can build toward the larger conflict. Odin, the main villain of Ragnarok, likewise sits at the center of that second-season story.
The show still needs a new Kratos
The bigger complication is the lead role. Ryan Hurst, who had been cast as Kratos, was removed from the part after tearing his bicep. The recovery time was long enough that the production chose to recast rather than wait, and filming in Vancouver was pushed back.
The setback is not simple. Hurst had already filmed multiple episodes, and those need to be reshot. You cannot swap in a new Kratos partway through a season, and there is a second timing problem. Callum Vinson, who plays young Atreus, is young enough that he may visibly age during the search for a new lead, which adds pressure to the reshoot schedule.
Between finding a new Kratos and redoing the completed episodes, the Prime Video premiere could slip well into 2028. No firm release date has been confirmed.
Confirmed Season 1 cast
The Kratos role remains open, but much of the Norse pantheon and supporting cast is already set for the first season.
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Young Atreus | Callum Vinson |
| Young Thrud | Island Austin |
| Odin | Mandy Patinkin |
| Sif | Teresa Palmer |
| Heimdall | Max Parker |
| Thor | Ólafur Darri Ólafsson |
| Baldur | Ed Skrein |
| Magni | Ben Chapple |
| Modi | Louis Cunningham |
| Freya | Sonya Walger |
| Brok | Danny Woodburn |
| Sindri | Jeff Gulka |
| Gna | Evelyn Miller |
| Mimir | Alastair Duncan |
Ronald D. Moore is the showrunner, taking over after the earlier creative team departed, and Amazon has ordered two seasons.
What else is coming for God of War
The show is only one part of a busy stretch for the franchise. God of War Laufey is set to release on February 16, 2027, and Santa Monica Studio has confirmed that the next Kratos-led game will follow it and connect the two stories. A remake of the original trilogy is also in the works.
For the series itself, the picture is clear even if the timeline is not. Season 1 tells the 2018 story, Season 2 moves into Ragnarok with older versions of Atreus and Thrud, and the whole project is waiting on a new Kratos before it can lock a premiere.
