Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of Hollywood’s most successful actors, at least in terms of earnings. His movies grossed over $10.5 billion worldwide. But despite this financial success, Dwayne Johnson’s movies have a tendency to prioritize spectacle over substance. And that’s exactly why he shouldn’t be a part of the God of War live-action adaptation.
From failed video game adaptations to critically panned blockbuster performances, The Rock’s acting career has largely relied on his charisma rather than his true range. God of War, as we all know, is more than just good looks. So, with a story as emotionally rich as Kratos’, Johnson’s signature larger-than-life persona isn’t the best fit.
Dwayne Johnson’s movies have more spectacle than depth
Dwayne Johnson has built an empire as an action star, but many of his biggest films have struggled to receive positive reviews. His 2018 kaiju film Rampage earned an impressive $428 million at the box office, but it was still a critical failure, scoring just 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. And we’ve seen this many times over the years.
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His video game adaptation history is even worse. Before Rampage, Johnson starred in Doom (2005), one of the most famous game franchises ever. With an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a disastrous $58.7 million box office return against a $70 million budget, it was a massive flop. And that isn’t to say that this has been isolated to video game adaptations.
One of his most notable failures was Black Adam (2022), which was meant to kickstart a new era in the DC Extended Universe. Instead, it flopped at the box office, grossing only $393 million on a reported $260 million budget. The sequel to the movie was ultimately cancelled, to the disappointment of the actor.
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These examples show a trend where we can see that Johnson’s films are often big and hyped up. There’s no question of whether the actor is capable of making blockbusters that earn money at the box office; he’s done that before. But God of War is more than just scale and size. There’s an emotional side to it as well.
The live-action adaptation of God of War has to tell the emotional part of Kratos’ story
Amazon Prime Video is currently developing a live-action adaptation of God of War, a franchise that has been a staple of PlayStation gaming since 2005. The series will reportedly focus on the 2018 game, following Kratos’ journey through Norse mythology with his son, Atreus. We still haven’t gotten a lot of solid details.
The series has been in development since 2022, but progress has been slow. At first, we heard that Rafe Judkins was set to lead the project, but after multiple scripts were completed, he and several executive producers left, forcing the show to start over. As of 2024, Battlestar Galactica and Outlander showrunner Ronald D. Moore was brought in to lead the series.
The biggest concern about Dwayne Johnson playing Kratos is his acting range, or lack thereof. In 2018’s God of War reboot game, Kratos was more than just a brute; he was a deeply layered character with a tragic past, battling his inner demons while raising his son. And frankly, we don’t question Johnson’s acting ability, but he just isn’t a fit for that role.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
