Christopher Judge wants game creators involved in God of War and other video game TV adaptations

Christopher Judge — the voice of Kratos in the God of War series — is publicly calling out the TV and film industry for sidelining the people who actually built the games these adaptations are based on. Speaking at a Fan Expo panel, Judge said the pattern frustrates him: studios acquire a successful game property and then immediately hire nobody from it.

Judge used HBO's The Last of Us as his main example, praising Pedro Pascal but questioning why the original game cast — Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson — weren't brought in to lead the show. He pointed to a stage reading the game cast performed, calling it "unreal," and argued that for episodes that are essentially shot-for-shot recreations of game scenes, using the original writers and actors is an obvious call. "What are you thinking? These guys have been immersed in this world for 20 years, but someone's gonna know better?" he said, directing that line specifically at Amazon's upcoming God of War series. Baker did get a small cameo in the HBO show as a villain named James, but Judge's broader point stands — the creative talent behind these games rarely gets a meaningful seat at the table.

The God of War Amazon series has already hit turbulence. Ryan Hurst, originally cast as Kratos, tore his bicep during filming and had to leave the role. Former WWE star and Guardians of the Galaxy actor Dave Bautista is now reportedly in talks to replace him. Judge himself, despite voicing Kratos for years and delivering one of gaming's most celebrated performances, is not playing the character in the live-action version — which makes his comments land with a certain irony. The broader debate around game adaptations and creative fidelity has been running for years, but the commercial and critical success of The Last of Us series has made it the central reference point for every conversation about how to — or how not to — handle the transition from controller to screen.

Judge's comments are already circulating widely after the Reddit post from the Fan Expo panel. Whether Amazon is listening is another question entirely, but with Bautista's potential casting drawing attention, the God of War show is back in the spotlight whether it wants to be or not.