The latest God of War title has deviated significantly from the blood-soaked storytelling of its predecessors. While combat is still very much at the fore, the story is much more mature. By focusing on Kratos’ relationship with his son Atreus, rather than simplistic themes of brutal vengeance, the game achieved enormous review success. However, it seems Kratos’ raw physicality may serve as an inspiration to the design of another ruthless killer – the Predator. An about-turn to more emotional storytelling for the upcoming film’s alien antagonist seems unlikely, however.
The Predator is an upcoming film directed by Shane Black, pitched as a direct sequel to the original 1987 film. The first trailer was released just a few days ago, and the film is slated for release in September.
Brian Prince on How Kratos Inspired His Role
Speaking in a recent interview, Brian Prince, the actor cast as one of the film’s Predators, was asked about how he approached the role. The actor was recruited for his parkour expertise and use of animal mannerisms in his movements. He cited Kratos, God of War’s main character, as an inspiration for his portrayal. When describing the music he used to work on the role, he revealed that he used a lot of video game soundtracks. “I have a lot of stuff from the God of War games,” he said, “because that character’s a big inspiration for me. The main character of that game is Kratos, this big, tall warrior. He’s very similar to what the Predator creature is, in my mind, so I use him as a reference and inspiration.”
It’s unclear whether Prince was specifically referring to the recent title or the series as a whole. The latest God of War may have adopted a more mature story. The physicality of Kratos’ character, on the other hand, has certainly not been dimished as a result. While he may not be as emotionless as he once was, he is still very much an unstoppable force. As a result, it’s easy to see where Prince would draw his inspiration from.
“One of the things I had in mind was for the creature to look heavy,” he said, “to look big, but also to be very mobile, kind of like a lion. A big creature… or a bear. You see one running at you, and you’re like, ‘Oh damn,’”