The God of War TV show is taking shape at Prime Video, with filming recently commencing, but without one key character cast. The adaptation of Sony Santa Monica's popular PlayStation series is one of the most eagerly awaited video game series, with the show expected to cover the events of God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok across two seasons. The series comes from showrunner Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica), and features some of the same talent that made Prime Video's Fallout adaptation so successful.
So far, God of War has cast many of its key characters across both games, hinting that this new adaptation may introduce some changes to the chronology. Following the core casting of Kratos (Ryan Hurst) and Atreus (Callum Vinson), Prime Video has also cast actors in the roles of Baldur, Sif, Thor, Odin, Heimdall, Mimir, Brok, Sindri, Modi, Magni, Thrud, and Gna. However, that list is still missing one very important player.
The missing link is Freya, the Norse goddess of love and fertility, among other things. Freya was previously Odin's wife and trapped in an abusive marriage with him before he banished her to Midgard, where she crosses paths with Kratos and his son, Atreus.
Why Freya Is So Important in God of War
Freya is just one of the many mythological Norse characters fans meet in God of War, but she plays a pivotal role in the story. When Kratos and Atreus first meet Freya, she is operating under the guise of the Witch of the Woods and helps them to resurrect the severed head of the fallen Mimir.
Upon learning Freya's identity, Kratos distrusts her because of his general disdain for all Gods (which ties back to his past in the Greek-era games). Nevertheless, Freya serves as an ally to both, advising them on how to fulfill their mission of spreading Faye's (Kratos' deceased wife) ashes at the highest peak, as per her wishes.
However, Freya also plays a pivotal role in the story as Baldur's mother. Baldur (played by Ed Skrein in the upcoming adaptation) emerges in the story as the first villain that Kratos does battle with, and is simply named "the Stranger". However, he later emerges as a full-scale threat to Kratos and Atreus, particularly due to his immortality, which was the result of a spell cast to protect him by his mother.
When Baldur fights Kratos and Atreus at the end of the first game, Atreus manages to break his protection spell with a mistletoe arrow (Baldur's one weakness). Freya intervened in the trio's battle, trying to both protect her son and prevent him from killing Kratos and Atreus, but eventually Baldur turned on her, leading Kratos to step in and kill him to save Freya's life. Despite this, Freya vows revenge on Kratos for killing Baldur.
This leads to her role in God of War: Ragnarok, where Freya has an even bigger part to play.
Initially, Freya upholds her vow of revenge and attacks Kratos and Atreus, until she decides to ally with Kratos instead and use him to help free her from Midgard. Together they ally against a greater threat, Odin, and Freya becomes a playable companion in the game.
Apart from Kratos and Atreus, Freya is easily one of the most prominent characters in the latest two God of War games, making her pivotal in the TV adaptation. Yet filming on the series has commenced in Vancouver, and Freya's casting still hasn't been confirmed.
Who Should Play Freya in Prime Video's God of War?
With filming underway on God of War, it's likely that Freya's casting has either already happened and is being kept under wraps or it is imminent (and has already been included in God of War's casting call). As mentioned, the role is important to get right, so it could take a bit longer to cast, but it seems likely fans will find out who is playing Freya in the coming weeks.
In the games, Freya is depicted as a pale woman with dark hair. Freya's voice and motion capture performance in the games was provided by Danielle Bisutti. Like The Last of Us, God of War has cast some performers from the source material in the same roles in the game, most notably Alastair Duncan as Mimir. If they wanted to, casting Bisutti in her same role as Freya in the live-action adaptation could be a good choice, particularly given her resemblance to Freya and deep knowledge of the character.
Still, there is no shortage of actors in Hollywood who would be perfect for Freya's role. Someone like Rebecca Ferguson has the fierce spirit to play Freya, not to mention plenty of action experience, having starred in Mission: Impossible and the Dune films. Similarly, stars like Alicia Vikander and Olivia Wilde seem ideal choices to play Freya.
Of course, it's not a requirement that Freya be played by an A-list star. It's more important that God of War cast the correct person for the part, rather than the biggest name, which appears to be the team's approach to all of the show's cast so far.
