Talk to any publicist in a studio, and there’s one common sentiment you hear – “first costume reveals are the worst”.
Specifically, they’re referring to the backlash that can often arise from costume test photos officially released during production of a film’s characters in their costumes and without any context.
Yesterday, Amazon Prime officially unveiled a first look at Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus in an official publicity still from the live-action “God of War” TV series.
The photo itself was posted not just on Amazon’s official social media channels but also through their press materials site alongside a press release announcing the start of production. It was captioned: “Father and son. Behold your first look at Kratos and Atreus in the God of War series now in production. Their journey to the highest peak begins”.
As this was a first look shot and filming has only just begun in recent days, it’s expected that the photo only shows off the costumes/make-up more than anything else and not the final lighting conditions or visual look for the series.
Still, that hasn’t stopped a flood of reactions to the image, some highly praising while others offering complaints ranging from cosplay to many claiming it’s either AI-generated or AI-enhanced. More than a few suggest it ‘looks off’ but can’t quite put their finger on it.
Now, Kratos actor himself Ryan Hurst has stirred up even more chatter about it with an Instagram story posting saying: “Don’t believe everything you see on the internet, kids”.
That comment, likely referring to those claiming it’s AI or fake, has only increased the chatter that the photo isn’t real despite the obvious provenance of the photo. Either way, it’s one of the most talked-about first-look costume photo reveals since David Corenswet’s first Superman photo back in May 2024.
