Actor Dave Bautista will play Kratos in Amazon’s live-action “God of War” series after Ryan Hurst left the role following an on-set injury.
Hurst reportedly tore his bicep while performing a stunt about four months into filming and required surgery. Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television chose to recast the role rather than further delay production.
Bautista, a former WWE champion who played Drax in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, is expected to join the production after working on the upcoming “Highlander” reboot with Henry Cavill.
Filming on “God of War” is expected to resume in mid-October following a September preparation period, with production continuing in Vancouver.
The series is based on the 2018 and 2022 “God of War” video games and is being overseen by showrunner Ronald D. Moore.
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The story follows Kratos and his son Atreus, played by Callum Vinson, as they travel through the Norse realm of Midgard to scatter the ashes of Kratos’s late wife.
Amazon has ordered two seasons, which are expected to be filmed back-to-back.