Prime Video‘s God of War series has found a new lead actor to replace the injured Ryan Hurst.
Dave Bautista will on the role of Kratos in the series, which is based on the long-running video game franchise. Hurst (The Odyssey, Sons of Anarchy) was originally cast in the role but had to step aside after tearing a bicep while performing a stunt on set.
Prime Video confirmed Bautista’s casting after initial reports in early August that the actor was in talks to take over the role.
Bautista is a known quantity to both viewers — via Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Dune Part Two, plus his time as a WWE star — and Amazon MGM Studios, which is producing God of War with Sony Pictures Television. Bautista has appeared in Amazon MGM’s two My Spy movies and The Wrecking Crew and has roles in the studio’s forthcoming features Highlander and Road House 2.
With Bautista now officially on board, the goal is to get God of War back into production in Vancouver in the fall. The show’s cast also includes Callum Vinson, Mandy Patinkin, Ed Skrein, Max Parker, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Teresa Palmer, Alastair Duncan, Jeff Gulka and Danny Woodburn.
The series will follow Kratos and his son, Atreus, as they “embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye,” per the show’s logline. “Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.” The series will be based primarily on the two most recent installments of the game franchise, which introduced Atreus.
Ronald D. Moore (For All Mankind, Outlander), who has an overall deal at Sony, is the showrunner and executive produces with Maril Davis, Cory Barlog, Naren Shankar, Matthew Graham, Asad Qizilbash, Jeff Ketcham, Hermen Hulst, Roy Lee, and Brad Van Arragon. Joe Menosky, Marc Bernardin, Tania Lotia, and Ben McGinnis are co-EPs. Frederick E.O. Toye is set to direct the first two episodes. Sony and Amazon MGM are producing God of War with PlayStation Productions and Moore’s Tall Ship Productions.
Bautista is repped by WME and Jackoway Austen.
Aug. 20, 3:18 p.m. Updated throughout with confirmation of Bautista’s casting.
This story was initially published on Aug. 3, 2026.
