Dave Bautista is preparing to take over the role of Kratos in God of War.
The actor took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a video of himself training to take on the lead role in Prime Video’s video game TV adaptation.
Prime Video confirmed to ABC Audio in July that it decided to recast the role of Kratos after its original actor, Ryan Hurst, was seriously injured while on set of the series in late June. Hurst tore a bicep while performing a stunt on the show.
Bautista is the actor taking over the part, and his video shows him in the gym training for the role.
“3rd week in to weight training again. 2 more months to get to where I need to be. Like ridin a bike! LFG!” Bautista wrote.
The video finds Bautista showing off his physique for the camera. He takes off his shirt and ends the video in Kratos’ signature pose.
While recovery time for Hurst’s injury is unclear, it would likely not have been safe for him to resume filming until 2027. This led to the decision for Bautista to take over the part. Additionally, the show’s co-lead, Atreus, is played by child actor Callum Vinson. Much of the existing footage will need to be reshot as Vinson is growing and changing.
Production started on God of War back in February. It’s based on the popular ancient mythology-themed Playstation video game and has already received a two-season order from the streamer.
The storyline for the upcoming series follows “father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye,” according to an official synopsis from Prime Video. “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.”
Also starring in the show are Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri and Danny Woodburn as Brok.
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