Update [Fri 21st Aug 2026, 12:30am]: Guardians of the Galaxy actor Dave Bautista has now officially replaced Ryan Hurst as Kratos in Amazon Prime’s upcoming live action God of War adaptation.

Variety reports that the former wrestler will step into the iconic role after its previous star tore his bicep on set earlier this year.

Obviously this means shooting will now have to start over with Bautista in the role, with production expected to get back underway before the end of this year.

Original Story: Ex-WWE wrestler and Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista is reportedly in talks to play Kratos in Amazon’s upcoming God of War live action TV show.

Variety reports that the 57-year-old is in discussions to replace Ryan Hurst, who is being recast after tearing his bicep last month.

Amazon and Sony want to get filming back underway this fall, and waiting for Hurst’s injury to heal would have taken until 2027, which wasn’t an option for the production team.

Bautista is an accomplished actor who’s excellent as Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I could certainly see him doing a decent job with the role.

He also historically has the large, muscular build of Kratos – but has slimmed down a lot in recent years, so might need some post-processing.

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Variety reports that Callum Vinson is still on deck to play Kratos’ son Atreus. There were whispers this weekend that he’d also been recast.

Amazon has put a lot of faith in this project, already ordering two seasons of the show – but an early image, showing Hurst as Kratos, was ridiculed for looking like bad cosplay.

While Hurst’s injury was undeniably unfortunate, I can’t help but wonder whether executives were looking for an excuse to start over here.

Personally, I think Bautista looks like a great choice, but reactions seem a bit mixed online. So what about you? Let us know below.

[source variety.com]