God of War fans shocked by sudden Kratos recast: 'that's genuinely sad'

The upcoming God of War series has suffered a major blow regarding its leading character, after Kratos’ actor was suddenly injured on set.

In May 2022, Amazon and Sony announced that it haD greenlit a God of War live-action series, and for nearly four years, news on that series went radio silent. That was until it was announced who would be playing the angry demigod, Kratos.

That prestigious role would belong to Ryan Hurst, who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Opie Winston in the TV series Sons of Anarchy. However, Hurst would later be cast as the God of Thunder in 2022’s God of War Ragnarök.

With his experience in God of War Ragnarök, Hurst was announced to be playing Kratos in live-action, and while he could no doubt knock that role out of the park, many fans weren't convinced with the casting…and that’s putting it mildly.

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Sony and Amazon are on the hunt for a new Kratos

Sadly, it’s been reported that Ryan Hurst has suffered a torn bicep, which could put him out of work for around six months. Rather than waiting for him to heal and delay the show, Sony and Amazon Studios have decided to recast the role of Kratos.

“That's genuinely sad for Ryan Hurst, what the f***. Couldn't they have waited for him to heal? its not like this needs to be rushed,” said VIK19941on X (formerly Twitter).

“Sounds like a pretty serious accident or the studio execs are heartless,” added hotsakenjoyer.

It’s reported by Deadline that the injury happened when Ryan Hurst was performing a stunt in June, and the injury will not only require surgery but also rehabilitation. It’s even possible that recovery could surpass the six-month estimate.

At this point, it’s said that Ryan Hurst had already recorded four episodes for the God of War series. Those four episodes may be wiped clean, and while it hasn't been officially confirmed, some expect filming to restart in October 2026, giving a total of four months from Hurst’s injury, and the start of recording with the new Kratos.

Who could be recast as Kratos?

Right now, this is pure speculation, but there are a number of options for the recast, perhaps the most popular being Christopher Judge, who has played Kratos since the 2018 soft reboot.

Other names making the social media rounds include the likes of Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, WWE), as well as Rory McCann (Game of Thrones), Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Game of Thrones), and Alan Ritchson (Reacher), to name a few. Oh, and HHH, who seems the least likely name at this point, after all, he’s a very busy man in WWE.

That being said, it's most likely that Sony and Amazon Studios have a replacement in mind, and we shouldn't be waiting too long to find out who the new Kratos will be. As always, we’ll keep you posted as soon as we learn more.

As for what the future holds for the video game series, we know that God of War Laufey is expected to be released soon on PlayStation 5, and we have the remakes of the original trilogy to look forward to, which will see the return of the OG Kratos, Terrence C. Carson.

We at GAMINGbible wish Ryan Hurst a full and speedy recovery.

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