It has officially been announced that a God of War Amazon series is in the works. The series will take place around the events of the two most recent games, God of War (2018) and Ragnarok. Given the major difference in age between these two games and the lack of specifics in the announcement, the question of who might play Atreus is a challenging one to answer.
In all likelihood, the first season will follow the events of the first game, while any later seasons or releases would adapt Ragnarok and future sequels. Even still, for production reasons Atreus may be aged up or down to create consistency between seasons as unlike with video games, TV shows generally don't take as long to produce from start to finish. Multiple seasons could potentially be filmed right in a row or even simultaneously depending on funding. As a result, when considering potential actors to play Atreus, the age range is quite flexible.
Finn Wolfhard From Stranger Things
As far as acting talent is concerned, Finn Wolfhard ticks every box. He has been through the process of growing up in alongside his character in Stranger Things, as was the case with Sunny Suljic with Atreus, and Wolfhard's star power is only growing every year. He would have to play a teenage Atreus who is already aged up somewhat, but that could likely be accommodated relatively easily.
Wolfhard's continued work on Stranger Things and other projects is the primary cause for concern as he may simply not have the time to dedicate himself to such a large role. If the Marvel film production process is anything to go by, producing the God of War TV series is likely to be incredibly demanding for everyone involved. If he did choose to take on the role of Atreus, there is little doubt he would bring an excellent take on the character.
Iain Armitage From Young Sheldon
Iain Armitage may be the ideal choice for the God of War TV series if the production team intend to depict a young Atreus who grows into his role over an extended period of time. Still only 14 years old, Armitage has proven himself to be a powerful comedic and dramatic talent with his leading role in Young Sheldon and his role as Ziggy Chapman in Big Little Lies.
His experience in the latter role especially captures a similar character to Atreus in God of War, naive but observant and struggling to understand the complexities of the very adult mistakes of his family. That being said, the athleticism and action-oriented nature God of War may not be a good fit for Armitage given his lack of experience in combat-oriented roles.
Sunny Suljic's Return
Sunny Suljic, Atreus's original voice actor, has starred in leading roles in major films outside video games including Jonah Hill's Mid90s. His ability to succeed in film means that it would likely be a straightforward transition for Suljic to take on the role of Atreus on TV. Sunny Suljic also bears some resemblance to Atreus, which would make him an easy pick to reprise the role he voiced. Having played the role before, no one understands the background and responsibilities of the role of Atreus more than him.
While bringing Suljic on as Atreus for the TV series would mean he has to be aged up somewhat, Suljic's experience with the role could very well make up for that in the eyes of a casting director. It would also make shooting multiple seasons in succession far easier. The time-skip between God of War (2018) and Ragnarok was partially out of necessity given that Suljic's voice had changed during the years of production. With the TV series, the team may choose the easier route and keep Atreus's age consistent between seasons, meaning Suljic would be an easy pick. While production has only just begun, it will be interesting to see what casting decisions the God of War TV series production team will make in adapting such a prestigious game series.
God of War: Ragnarok is available on PS4 and PS5.