Following the news that Sons of Anarchy star Ryan Hurst had been cast as Kratos in Prime Video's God of War TV series, fans reacted positively. However, the same could not be said for our first look at his transformation into the character.
That was likened to cosplay and even dismissed as "AI," and based on the image alone, Hurst did not have the same presence as the video game version of the character (in his defence, that was never going to be easy for any actor).
Following a reported bicep tear, Hurst was dropped from God of War, with Dune and Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista now in the mix to take over the role. Hurst has yet to comment on his injury or Amazon's decision not to allow him time to recover. It's hard not to wonder whether the actor's ousting from a role is, in part, down to the negative response and the streamer realising the show needed a bigger star.
The truth may come out eventually, but in the meantime, Hurst has taken to Instagram to share a new photo of himself as Kratos in God of War. He deleted the image shortly after sharing it, and it appears to be from a makeup test, as his skin isn't bright white here.
The character arguably looks better without that, though it's likely to remain part of the series given that the reason behind Kratos' pale skin is that he's covered in the ashes of his dead family. Hurst also looks a lot bulkier in this shot than he did in the official one (which some compared to a "dad bod").
Amazon might have just dropped the ball with that first-look image, though we'll never find out what Hurst could have done as the iconic Spartan. While Callum Vinson's Atreus is also being recast for Season 2, there's speculation that the new actor will also take his place in Season 1.
God of War, which has received a two-season order, follows father and son Kratos and Atreus 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 is led by Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus, with Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri, Danny Woodburn as Brok, and Teresa Palmer as Sif.
God of War is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions. Ronald D. Moore serves as showrunner, executive producer, and writer.
Additional 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 serve as co-executive producers on the series.
God of War is expected to premiere on Prime Video in 2027.