‘God Of War’ To Recast Lead Kratos After Ryan Hurst Injury (Exclusive)

EXCLUSIVE: This is a shocker: Prime Video‘s God Of War will have a new actor playing Kratos as the lead role in the high profile fantasy drama series is being recast, Deadline has learned.

The decision, made after a careful consideration by the studios on the show, Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, comes after Ryan Hurst, who had been originally cast as Kratos, was seriously injured on the set of the PlayStation video game adaptation in late June.

This is a heartbreaking development for Hurst who 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.

Hurst tore a bicep while doing a stunt on the show, as first reported by TMZ. According to sources, he has since undergone surgery and is now recovering.

God of War paused production Immediately following the incident and remains on hiatus.

Hurst’s projected recovery time is unclear but for a serious bicep tears requiring surgery, it is typically 4-6 months, with a return to full strength taking up to a year. Given the physicality of the role, it will likely not have been safe for Hurst to resume filming until 2027.

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.

Prep is expected to begin is mid-August for a mid-October production start.

The ancient mythology-themed God of War, from writer, executive producer and showrunner Ronald D. Moore, began filming in February in Vancouver on a two-season order, with the two seasons slated to film back-to-back, which I hear remains the plan. According to sources, four episodes had been fully completed at the time of the incident.

They will now be reshot with the new actor who will take over the role of Kratos. With the co-lead, Atreus, played by a child actor, Callum Vinson, it would be hard to use much of the existing footage as kids grow up fast.

For Hurst, the recasting comes as he faces an extensive recovery in what was supposed to be a great week for him — Hurst is in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, which opens tomorrow.

God of War follows father and son Kratos and Atreus (Vinson) as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.

The cast also includes Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri and Danny Woodburn as Brok.

Recasting the lead of a series after an injury is unfortunate and extremely rare. Under similar circumstances, O’Shea Jackson Jr in February 2020 replaced Winston Duke as lead of Apple TV’s Kevin Durant drama Swagger when Duke was injured on set early into Season 1 production. Meanwhile, Netflix shut down production on its series Cowboy Bebop for 7-9 months after lead John Cho sustained a knee injury during filming in October 2019, which required surgery and extensive rehab. With the pandemic factoring in, the series resumed production 11 months later with Cho.

God of War is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Moore’s Tall Ship Productions. In addition to Moore, executive producers include Maril Davis, Cory Barlog, Naren Shankar, Matthew Graham, Asad Qizilbash, Jeff Ketcham, Hermen Hulst, Roy Lee and Brad Van Arragon. Joe Menosky, Marc Bernardin, Tania Lotia and Ben McGinnis co-executive produce. Frederick E.O. Toye directed the first two episodes.