Amazon Prime Video’s God Of War series has hit a major snag. Actor Ryan Hurst, who had been cast as series lead Kratos, is being replaced after suffering an injury during production.
Ryan Hurst, who had been cast as Kratos, the titular God of War, in Amazon’s live-action adaptation of the beloved PlayStation franchise, is being recast after suffering a serious bicep tear while performing a stunt on the set of the series.
Prime Video is reportedly deciding to recast Kratos despite four episodes having already been filmed.
Ryan Hurst is being recast as Kratos in Amazon’s God of War series after tearing his bicep on set
According to reports, Amazon and Sony elected not to wait out Hurst’s potential six-month recovery timeline (and a year until a return to full strength) and have instead opted to restart filming in October with a new actor in the role.
“Hurst underwent a physical transformation after getting the role, putting on 40 lbs of muscle, and worked hard for months on the Vancouver set filming the physically demanding role until getting hurt performing his duties,” Deadline reported.
“According to sources, while Hurst’s full recovery is a priority, the period required for it was longer than the production shooting schedule could accommodate, leading to the difficult decision to recast the role.”
It’s been a tumultuous start for the production of God of War, as the first-look image from the series was widely panned by fans and even prompted a critical response from the creator of the original video game franchise.
Despite the rocky start, the studios are also planning to shoot the first two seasons back-to-back once production starts in October.
Given the success of Prime Video’s Fallout series and the global popularity of God of War — the franchise has sold over 36 million units worldwide since the 2018 reboot — the recasting is a tough blow for the 50-year-old Hurst, as it might have been the biggest role of his career. Hurst is best known for his roles as Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans, Opie in Sons of Anarchy and Beta in The Walking Dead. He also voiced Thor in the God of War: Ragnarok video game and has a role as “Mentor” in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
The God of War series is just the latest in a string of Hollywood bets on video games on both the big screen and on TV, with the aforementioned Fallout and The Last of Us being the most notable live-action success thus far.
On the cinema side, franchises such as Sonic, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Bros., and Minecraft have been adapted to the big screen, with many more on the way, including the likes of Resident Evil, Street Fighter, The Legend of Zelda, Elden Ring, and Call of Duty.