Ryan Hurst, who stars in Prime Video’s upcoming God of War live-action series, appears to have seen the backlash surrounding the show’s recently released first-look image. The photo, shared by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios to mark the start of production, offered fans their first glimpse of Hurst as Kratos alongside Callum Vinson as Atreus.
What was intended as a celebratory reveal quickly sparked heated debate online. Fans have been split over the adaptation, with criticism aimed at everything from casting choices to claims that the image looked AI-generated. Even David Jaffe, director of the original God of War (2005) and God of War II (2007) video games, expressed disappointment with the first look.
Perhaps noticing the blowback, Hurst took to Instagram to post his response to the reaction, although his cryptic message may have only raised more questions.
"Don't believe everything you see on the internet, kids," Hurst wrote, leaving many fans to speculate what he meant.
The first-look image came directly from Prime Video along with a caption that read: "Father and son. Behold your first look at Kratos and Atreus in the God of War series now in production. Their journey to the highest peak begins."
With no further context, it’s difficult to determine what Hurst meant. The image is undeniably official, but studio-released publicity stills don’t always represent the finished look of a film or series. Could he be implying that the photo was a staged promotional shot rather than something pulled directly from footage? The lighting might point in that direction, though that remains purely speculative for now.
It seems unlikely, however, that Hurst would be questioning the legitimacy of the first-look image itself by suggesting the studio released an AI-generated photo, or one significantly altered using AI.
At this point, it might be best for all involved to simply move past the promo still and leave it in the rearview mirror. Hopefully, after a few weeks of filming, we’ll get a more representative look at the series, one that helps clear up any misconceptions sparked by that initial image.
Co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions, Prime Video's God of War series is a live-action adaptation of PlayStation’s massively popular ancient mythology-themed God of War video game.
The series synopsis reads:
The God of War series storyline follows father and son Kratos and 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.
We don't yet have a release date for God of War, but the series has already received a two-season order.