God Of War TV Show's Kratos Is Being Recast, Filming Will Start Over

Production on Amazon’s God of War show has hit a serious speed bump. Ryan Hurst, the actor cast in the role of Kratos, suffered an injury on set that means he can no longer continue in the role, which means the hunt is now on for a new leading man.

Amazon's Kratos To Be Recast

Ryan Hurst as Kratos in Amazon's God of War TV series.

The shocking development was revealed by Deadline this morning. According to the site, Hurst suffered a torn bicep while filming the show. The actor has already undergone surgery to help repair the tear; however, the recovery time for an injury so serious is around four to six months. It's possible Hurst would have taken up to a year to get back to full strength, leaving him on the shelf well into 2027.

Those working on the show have reportedly been weighing up their options and have ultimately decided that waiting for Hurst and carrying on with him as their Kratos would derail the God of War show’s timeline too much. That’s why they are now trying to find a new actor to play Kratos. There is currently no indication of who they might have in mind.

Four Episodes With Hurst Had Already Been Filmed

Official artwork of Kratos and Atreus sailing in God of War 2018.

That means, once a new Kratos actor is chosen, filming is going to have to start over. That’s going to present a significant setback as it's believed filming had already wrapped on four episodes with Hurst, with parts of other episodes also having taken place. This won’t be a case of Hurst’s replacement stepping in to take over where Hurst left off, but those four episodes being scrapped and refilmed with the new actor.

Work to find a new Kratos is expected to happen fast, as the goal is to get production up and running again between August and October. It's a real blow for Hurst, who put in a lot of work to sculpt a physique that fits the role. The actor packed on 40 pounds of muscle ahead of filming. A mixed week for the actor as, despite this devastating setback, he's also starring in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which hits theaters this weekend.

We've only seen one shot of Hurst as Kratos, a photo from the set of the God of War adaptation that shows him training Atreus, played by Callum Vinson. The shot split fans as many didn't think Hurst looked like a very convincing Kratos. Hurst responded to critique by warning fans not to believe everything they see. Sadly, we may never get a better feel of the kind of Kratos Hurst was going to be.