Dave Bautista Cast as Kratos in 'God of War' Series, Replacing Ryan Hurst

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Seasoned action star Dave Bautista has officially been cast as Kratos in Prime Video's God of War TV series.

Citing Variety, Bautista was in talks with Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television shortly after they decided to recast the role following an on-set injury suffered by original actor Ryan Hurst.

Hurst was announced to play Kratos back in January 2026, but a torn bicep while performing a stunt in late June would have to delay production into 2027. 

Hurst has been a familiar voice in the God of War universe, as he assumed the voice of Norse god Thor in the video game God of War: Ragnarok.

The first official look at Ryan Hurst as Kratos was released back in February, but all scenes featuring him would have to be reshot following the setback.

Adapted from the popular PlayStation video game of the same name, God of War series saw a two-season order with back-to-back filming, which first started in Vancouver back in February.

Variety reported in July that Amazon Prime hoped to resume production by mid-fall after recasting Hurst, while Deadline expected the show would start from scratch with no footage from the original shoot used.

Prep begins this month, meaning there's little time for Bautista to get ready to play a physically demanding role as Kratos, the titular god of war. But his extensive experience as a professional wrestler is expected to smooth the transition, as both Deadline and Variety noted.

The first two episodes will be directed by Frederick E.O. Toye, an Emmy-winning director whose recent works include Shogun, The Boys, and Fallout. He also directed the same episodes with Hurst before the recast.

Meanwhile, Ronald D. Moore is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner on God of War under his Tall Ship Productions banner.

Bautista will star opposite Callum Vinson, who plays Atreus, Kratos' son. Additional cast members include  Mandy Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri, Danny Woodburn as Brok, Sonya Walger as Freya, Island Austin as Thrud, Ben Chapple as Magni, Louis Cunningham as Modi, and Evelyn Miller as Gna.

What we know about the God of War plot

According to Variety, the God of War series will pick up the two most recent games in the universe, which follow Kratos as he raises his ten-year-old son Atreus while battling Norse gods. 

Kratos and Atreus embark on a journey to spread the ashes of Faye, Kratos' wife and Atreus' mother. "Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human," as per the logline.

Kratos is described as Spartan by birth, and a god by nature. He commanded armies in service of his homeland until one day he made a fateful deal with Ares, the Greek God of War, and lost his soul in exchange for being victorious in battle.

The God of War will be Bautista's second series-regular role following Apple TV's See series. His previous roles include Dune and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, and he has several movies coming up, including Alpha Gang, Ally, and Highlander.

Read: Ryan Hurst Cast as Kratos in Prime Video's God of War Series

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