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Dave Bautista officially set to replace Ryan Hurst as Kratos in Prime Video's God of War series

Following Hurst's injury earlier in the year, a replacement has now been cast.
Alex Hopley Editor UK 21 August 2026

Following talks with Amazon, Dave Bautista is now officially set to take over the role of Kratos in Prime Video's God of War series. Ryan Hurst was initially set to play the eponymous God of War, but due to a torn bicep he had to step down.

As Prime Video looks to get production back on for 2027, Bautista is seen as one of the few experienced Hollywood actors who's already in the shape required to play Kratos (via Variety). The former WWE star has often played larger characters, from Drax the Destroyer in the MCU to Rabban in the Dune series.

The God of War series is looking to shoot its two ordered seasons back-to-back, but production won't start again until next year. There's no release date for the series right now, but it may arrive in 2028 considering the amount of post-production that's likely going to be needed for the God of War series.

This marks Bautista's second major video game adaptation casting, as he's also set to play the lead in the Gears of War movie, coming to Netflix.

Editor UK Alex Hopley covered the video game industry for Gamereactor, from new announcements and launches to the business behind them. He also wrote on tech, film and entertainment, and his coverage wasn't tied to any one region.
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