Amazon's live-action God of War series is being rebuilt around a new Kratos. Dave Bautista is in negotiations to take the lead role, according to Variety, replacing Ryan Hurst after a production injury derailed the original casting.
Hurst was set as Kratos in January 2026 and spent four months filming. Four of the planned ten first-season episodes had already been shot when he tore his bicep during stunt work in late June. Surgery was required, and his recovery is expected to extend into 2027. Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television decided the timeline made a recast necessary.
Bautista is not starting cold. He recently wrapped the new Highlander film, which required significant physical preparation, making the transition into Kratos, a character defined by mass and physicality, more practical. The series adapts Santa Monica Studios' 2018 God of War and its 2022 sequel God of War Ragnarök, both built around a Spartan warrior navigating the weight of his own mythology.
Pre-production is set to resume mid-August. Filming is targeted to restart around mid-October in Vancouver. No release window has been announced.
