Following an on-set injury sustained by lead actor Ryan Hurst, Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television are looking to recast the role of Kratos for the upcoming God of War TV series and have set their sights on a big-name replacement – former professional wrestler Dave Bautista.
As reported by Deadline, the studio is in talks with the retired wrestler and Guardians of the Galaxy star, and if negotiations go through, Bautista is set to take on the role of the iconic god killer from Santa Monica Studio’s popular PlayStation video game franchise. Ryan Hurst, who had originally been cast as Kratos, tore a bicep while performing a stunt on set in late June, leading to a lengthy recovery period that forced the studio to recast the role in order to hit production deadlines.
With his extensive experience as a wrestler, this makes Bautista more suitable to step into such a physically demanding role without having to undergo too much training, which makes his casting apt considering the show’s tight production schedule. In addition, the star is also hot off the heels of shooting the upcoming Highlander reboot with Henry Cavill, a role which required him to bulk up, so his improved physique might work to his favour for God of War.
Helmed by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), with Frederick E.O. Toye (Shōgun, Fallout) tapped to direct the first two episodes, the God of War series began filming in February on a two-season order, with both seasons filmed back-to-back, a plan that has remained unchanged despite the production hiccups. Based on Santa Monica Studio’s 2018 game reboot and its 2022 sequel, God of War Ragnarök, the show will follow Kratos and Atreus (Callum Vinson) as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye.
The cast also includes Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri and Danny Woodburn as Brok.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
