Back in July, we learned that Sony and Amazon MGM's live-action God of War adaptation had suffered a major setback when star Ryan Hurst sustained a torn bicep while filming an action scene.
Since Hurst's lengthy recovery time meant that the actor would most likely not have been ready to return to the set until next year, the decision was made to recast the role of Kratos.
The trades recently reported that Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, the Dune movies) was in talks to replace the Sons of Anarchy star, and we now have confirmation that the former WWE Champion has officially signed on to play Kratos.
God of War has already been given a two-season order by Prime Video, and all episodes were scheduled to shoot back-to-back. Filming originally began in Vancouver back in February, and production is expected to resume in the coming weeks.
Now that Bautista is locked in, all of Hurst's scenes will be reshot.
Despite reports to the contrary, it seems Callum Vinson remains attached to play Kratos’ son Atreus. Additional cast members include Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Danny Woodburn and Jeff Gulka as Dwarf brothers Brok and Sindri, and Ed Skrein as Baldur.
Ronald D. Moore is on board as writer, executive producer, and showrunner under his Tall Ship Productions banner. Frederick E.O. Toye will direct the first two episodes, while Maril Davis of Tall Ship also executive produces alongside 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. The series is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions.
"God of War is a compelling, character-driven franchise that we believe will captivate our global customers as much with its expansive and immersive worlds as its rich storytelling," said Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios, back when the series was officially announced. "We are honored to share in the adventure of exploring the God of War mythology in such a momentous way with Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, and Santa Monica Studio."
"We are so proud and excited to be working with our friends at Amazon Studios and our partners at PlayStation Productions to adapt this beautiful and heartbreaking game into a premium live-action series," added Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios.
"God of War is one of PlayStation’s most awarded video games, so we’re excited to partner with Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios to bring our beloved franchise to fans and new audiences in a bold and authentic way," said Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions.
Based on the official synopsis, this series looks set to be a pretty faithful take on the 2018 video game, but it sounds like it will also adapt elements of the more recent God of War: Ragnarök.
"[God of War] follows Kratos, the God of War, who, after exiling himself from his blood-soaked past in ancient Greece, hangs up his weapons forever in the Norse realm of Midgard," it reads. "When his beloved wife dies, Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son to spread her ashes from the highest peak—his wife’s final wish."
"Kratos soon realizes the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one which will test the bonds between father and son, and force Kratos to battle new Gods and monsters for the fate of the world."