Ryan Hurst recast as Kratos in God of War TV show after bicep injury

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Shock news from Svartalfheim: actor Ryan Hurst will no longer play Kratos in Prime Video's God of War TV show after suffering a significant injury during production on the live-action video game adaptation.

Hurst, who can currently be seen on-screen as Mentor in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey , reportedly tore a bicep in late June. Due to the lengthy recovery time involved with such an injury (typically 6 months), the physicality required to play a god-killer like Kratos, and the show's production schedule, the decision has been made to recast the lead role and reshoot the four episodes filmed so far.

It's another blow for the God of War show, which was faced with widespread scepticism following the release of a first-look still in February, now likely to be our only glimpse of Hurst in full Kratos garb, alongside Callum Vinson as his bow-wielding son, Atreus.

Vinson is just 12 years old, and in order to avoid the kind of on-screen growth spurts that have plagued the likes of Stranger Things and Avatar: The Last Airbender, the God of War show was set to film seasons one and two back-to-back. Reshooting the four episodes banked so far is considered a necessity to avoid a visible difference between footage of Vinson captured earlier this year and new material.

There's currently no news on who will step into the hulking boots of Kratos, but filming is on track to resume in mid-October, making it likely that the show won't release till 2028 or late 2027 at the earliest.

An adaptation of the acclaimed Santa Monica Studio's duology – God of War (2018) and God of War: Ragnarok – the show will seemingly mix up the timeline somewhat as it's set to feature the likes of Odin (Mandy Patinkin), Thor (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), Heimdall (Max Parker) and Sif (Teresa Palmer), who don't fully feature until Ragnarok, alongside first-game figures including Baldur (Ed Skrein), Mimir (Alastair Duncan), and Freya (Sonya Walger). No word yet if Daredevil's Deborah Ann Woll will reprise her Faye from the games alongside her starring role in God of War: Laufey .

God of War on Prime Video is currently undated. For more, check out the new PS5 games on the horizon, plus all the new TV shows coming your way in 2026 and beyond.