‘God Of War’: Prime Enlists ‘Game Of Thrones’ & ‘Deadpool’ Actor Ed Skrein To Play Baldur For Live-Action Series

Another impressive cast member has joined the growing lineup of Prime Video‘s next big ambitious series based on a mega-popular and violent video game franchise, “God of War.” The streamer has revealed that British actor Ed Skrein is set to play a villainous iteration of Baldur the Brave, who is the son of Odin and Freya. A malevolent tattooed Norse god, who is impervious to pain, making him quite a tough adversary for the god-killer.

He joins a cast that features Ryan Hurst (who played Thor in “God of War: Ragnarok”) as Kratos, Callum Vinson as Atreus, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir (Kratos and Atreus’ headless guide), Jeff Gulka as Sindri, Danny Woodburn as Brok, and Mandy Patinkin as Odin.

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An official logline for the video game adaptation, courtesy of Prime:

“God of War” 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.

It’s a co-production from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions. Showrunner and writer Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica,” “For All Mankind”) also serves as executive producer with Maril Davis, Cory Barlog, Naren Shankar, Matthew Graham, Asad Qizilbash, Jeff Ketcham, Hermen Hulst, Roy Lee, and Brad Van Arragon. Also, Joe Menosky, Marc Bernardin, Tania Lotia, and Ben McGinnis serve as co-executive producers on the series.

Skrein’s previous credits include a slew of genre-based roles appearing in projects such as “Game of Thrones,” “Deadpool,” “Alita: Battle Angel,” and “Rebel Moon.” Jeremy Davies (“Solaris,” “The Black Phone”) had previously portrayed the “Game of War” character in the first installment of the Norse adventure; the series is expected to adapt both of the games after previously announcing that Thor and Odin will be showing up.

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Other key roles to be filled in “God of War” are Faye (played by Deborah Ann Woll), Freya, alongside Thor’s sons (Baldur’s brusier cohorts) Modi and Magni, and his tough-as-nails daughter Thrúd could also be part of the character lineup. A reminder that these versions of the Norse gods are much more dangerous and flawed than their comic book counterparts, similar to the franchise’s take on the Greek pantheon of gods.