Prime Video’s God of War series is recasting its lead role, with Deadline reporting that a new actor will take over as Kratos following Ryan Hurst’s serious on-set injury in late June. According to the report, the decision came after careful consideration by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, which cast Hurst in the role earlier this year.
Per Deadline, Hurst tore a bicep performing a stunt, an injury first reported by TMZ, and has since undergone surgery and is recovering. Production paused immediately after the incident and remains on hiatus. Deadline notes that serious bicep tears requiring surgery typically take four to six months to heal, with a return to full strength taking up to a year, meaning it likely wouldn’t have been safe for Hurst to resume the physically demanding role until 2027, longer than the shooting schedule could accommodate. It’s a rough outcome for Hurst, who reportedly added 40 pounds of muscle after landing the part and had been filming in Vancouver for months, and the news arrives the same week Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, which he appears in, opens in theaters.
As for where the show goes from here, Deadline reports that prep is expected to begin in mid-August ahead of a mid-October production restart. Four episodes were fully completed at the time of the incident, with parts of additional ones possibly filmed as well, and those will be reshot with the new Kratos. Reusing existing footage is complicated by the fact that co-lead Atreus is played by child actor Callum Vinson, and as the report puts it, kids grow up fast. The Ronald D. Moore series began filming in February on a two-season order shot back-to-back, which reportedly remains the plan.
The series follows Kratos and Atreus on their journey to spread the ashes of Faye, and the cast 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. Deadline points out how rare a post-injury recast is, citing Apple TV’s Swagger, which replaced its injured lead, and Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop, which instead shut down for seven to nine months and resumed with John Cho. There’s no word yet on who takes over as Kratos.
