God of War inspired Prey film’s shield and tomahawk says director

The director of Hulu’s Prey, Dan Trachtenberg, confirmed that God of War (2018) influenced the design of the film’s shield and tomahawk weapons.

A prequel to the Predator franchise, Prey takes place in the early 18th Century and follows the Comanche Nation’s encounters with a hunter of alien origin.

Thus far, the film’s proved an incredible success for its distributor, becoming Hulu’s biggest movie debut to date.

Since premiering the movie at San Diego Comic-Con, director Dan Trachtenberg has continued to offer insight about what went into the project’s creation.

How God of War (2018) inspired Hulu’s Prey

In an interview with CassiusLife, Trachtenberg noted that God of War’s 2018 release influenced his latest film in two key ways.

For one, the Predator’s shield takes inspiration from the Guardian Shield that Kratos can wield in the 2018 adventure. This is most notably evident in the way the Predator’s shield augments into its full form.

The director added that Naru’s ability to throw and recall her tomahawk also owes its existence to Kratos’ Leviathan Axe.

Twitter user NIB edited the interview clip to show the comparisons between God of War and Prey.

In confirming God of War’s influence, Trachtenberg also expressed excitement for Ragnarok, which hits stores this November.

But God of War isn’t the only game to have helped Trachtenberg craft the Predator prequel. The director’s playthrough of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla led to his reaching out to composer Sarah Schachner, who ended up composing the Prey OST, as well.

Dan Trachtenberg has long combined his love of video games and film. He initially grabbed the attention of audiences with Portal: No Escape, a Portal-inspired fan film that many fondly remember.

He was once attached to Sony’s live-action adaptation of Uncharted, too, but stepped away due to creative differences. The filmmaker’s track record suggests movie lovers will want to keep an eye out for whatever he has in store next.