After bringing to life drill instructor Sergeant Sullivan on Netflix‘s Boots, Max Parker has received his next assignment — to guard the Bifröst. Prime Video‘s much-anticipated God of War video game series adaptation has tapped the breakout star to play the much-maligned villain, Heimdall, the Watchman of Asgard, and a loyal son of Odin. He’s the first major antagonist to be cast against Ryan Hurst‘s Kratos, also joining A Discovery of Witches star Teresa Palmer, who was just last week brought aboard to play the goddess Sif. With his addition, the series continues to fill out fast as pre-production gets underway in Vancouver.
Unlike his more benevolent MCU counterpart, played by Idris Elba, God of War‘s Heimdall is one of the more detestable villains of the franchise. As the Norse God of Foresight and the Herald of Ragnarök, he’s a true believer in the superiority of the Aesir and his father, willfully and gleefully fighting in wars to assert their will upon all the realms. Despite his pure devotion to Odin, however, he feels underappreciated by his father and underestimated by his kin, spurring him to constantly vie for more power and stature to show he’s the best of the Allfather’s sons. His obsession, jealousy, and absolute hatred of Atreus eventually lead him into the path of Kratos, showing both father and son how sadistic and cruel the Norse God can be. His casting furthers the show’s connections to the sequel to the 2018 God of War reboot, God of War: Ragnarök, hinting once again that the characters of that game will be introduced earlier in the story under showrunner Ronald D. Moore.
For the most part, Moore‘s adaptation of the games looks to be mostly accurate to the aforementioned Norse mythology reboot, even as it picks up after Kratos’s journey of blood and vengeance through the Greek pantheon. He’s worked closely with franchise veteran Corey Barlog to get a handle on their extensive lore, too. The first season will follow the plot of the 2018 PlayStation hit, following Kratos and his boy, Atreus, on a journey to scatter the ashes of the Ghost of Sparta’s late wife Faye atop the highest peak in the Nine Realms. Their adventure takes them into the path of Norse deities and other beings, pulling the two close together as the ultimate father-son team. Although Kratos tries his best to teach his son how to be a better god, Atreus also instills in his father what it takes to be a better human. Emmy-winning Shōgun director Frederick E.O. Toye will direct the first two episodes.
‘God of War’ Will Be the Latest High-Profile Television Role for Max Parker
Amazon is betting big on God of War to be its next major video game hit, wasting no time ordering it to two seasons. PlayStation Studios has also been heavily involved throughout the process to ensure one of their most recognizable IP, with ten installments to its name, is done justice. For Parker, it’s another major small-screen role coming off the breakout hit Boots, which came out of nowhere to become a worldwide sensation for Netflix that was hailed for its queer representation and personally attacked by the U.S. government as it adapted Greg Cope White‘s memoir The Pink Marine.
Though it didn’t get renewed for a second season, the series garnered Parker plenty of recognition, even earning him the Visibility Award from the Human Rights Campaign for the impact his work on the show had on LGBTQ+ representation. He’s been a regular on television beyond Boots, though. Before his big breakthrough, he also appeared in episodes of Doctor Who and World on Fire, had a recurring presence on Vampire Academy, and spent a fair amount of time on the long-running, BAFTA-winning soap opera Emmerdale Farm.
God of War is currently in pre-production, and casting is well underway.
via Collider