If the initial God of War casting reveals were icing on the cake, this latest is the cherry on top

The God of War TV show is slowly taking form, with casting choices revealed every now and again, showing that yes, in the big 2026 there can be a TV show that takes into consideration what it’s adapting when choosing who it wants to act in it.

Earlier this month, we saw Ryan Hurst cast as Kratos, which couldn’t have been more perfect, not only due to his looks and acting skills but also because he played Thor in the game itself. And speaking of Thor, we now have the official casting choice for him as well: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, an Icelandic-American actor known for his portrayal of Mr. Drummond in the Severance TV show, who I think couldn’t have been a more perfect choice.

Ólafsson (right) has played fantasy and mythical characters before. Image via IMDb

Aside from being a great actor who knows how to carry out a serious, gritty, heavyweight role, Ólafsson is a 6’5 giant that, if we take his appearance as Mr. Drummond into consideration, is the spitting image of Thor from the video game. Once again, the TV show casts a person who looks like the character portrayed, as well as one who can establish the scene presence necessary to convey it evocatively.

Ólafsson, as I’ve mentioned, is also Icelandic, which could help him in portraying the cultural nuances that are tied to Old Norse mythology. Their language remained unchanged for almost a thousand years, giving Ólafsson the ability to get into the fine details and nitty-gritty of Thor as a figure of myth, not only gaming.

I don’t know if we’ll get Thor speaking Old Norse in the show, but there’s no better pick for such scenes than Ólafsson.

As for his general background, Ólafsson has extensive experience in both film and television. He’s appeared in shows like Banshee, True Detective, Twilight of the Gods (another show based on Norse myths), and, as mentioned, Severance. His experience with fantasy goes a step further, as he played roles in Beowulf and Grendel, How to Train Your Dragon, The Last Witch Hunter, and many others.

With this good of an initial cast, I’m genuinely excited to see who Amazon will reveal to us next. So far, we’ve got Thor and Kratos, but are missing fundamental characters: Odin, Baldur, Freya, Atreus, and Mimir, among others.

Update on Jan. 29 at 2:50pm CT: And it just keeps getting better. Deadline is now reporting that Odin, the Allfather and King of Asgard, will be played by legendary actor of stage and screen, Mandy Patinkin.

Several key roles are still left to cast, if the series will follow the game, including Atreus, Freya, Faye, and Baldur, to name a few.