Dave Bautista is the new Kratos in Prime Video’s God of War

Kratos has a new face, and it belongs to Dave Bautista. The God of War TV series has officially recast its lead, with Bautista stepping in after Ryan Hurst tore his bicep on set. Not exactly the injury report you want mid-shoot.

Variety broke the news, confirming production resumes in the coming weeks, though there’s a catch: every scene Hurst already filmed now needs a full reshoot. That’s not a small ask, especially with a second season already greenlit and both seasons filming back-to-back.

Why Bautista as Kratos in God of War TV Series

He’s best known as Drax in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, so he’s no stranger to playing a hulking, short-tempered warrior with a soft side buried somewhere underneath. Kratos basically asks for the same energy, just angrier and with more axe-throwing.

Filming kicked off in Vancouver back in February before Hurst’s injury derailed things. The show is reportedly following the story of the two most recent God of War games, and Callum Vinson is still on board as Atreus, despite earlier chatter that he might get recast too. Mandy Patinkin (Odin) and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Thor) round out the mythological cast.

Reshoots aren’t cheap or quick, but if it means Bautista brings the right weight to the role, I’d say Amazon made the right call.

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