Former God of War Kratos Actor Shows Off Game-Accurate Look in New Photo Following Injury
It’s seemingly been nothing but drama for the new God of War series that’s coming out of Amazon Studios. From fans losing their minds over certain casting choices to that terrible first-look image the studio dropped (you know the one) that sparked tons of AI accusations and then haunted the show’s promotion, it seems like the creators behind the adaptation just can’t win. And that feels more true now than ever as the actor formerly cast as Kratos himself has taken to social media to show the production exactly what they’re missing out on.
Let go from the production after a serious on-set injury left him with a torn bicep muscle, Ryan Hurst has now shown the world exactly what they would have gotten had he been able to stay on as Kratos—and it’s nothing like what that first look photo would have you believe. No AI accusations in sight; this new selfie shows Hurst looking exactly like the God of War he was set to play: bearded, jacked, and covered in paint.
Everyone Had Something to Say About That Photo
Most notably, however, was David Jaffe, the creator of the God of War games, who aired his complaints on his YouTube channel (though he did sprinkle in a few compliments as well). “I’m sure everybody’s trying real hard, [but] it’s so dumb. But let’s be incredibly clear, okay? Two things can be true. This can be a terrible image, and it is. It’s so bad in so many ways, which we’ll talk about in a moment. And Ron Moore is awesome, who is the showrunner… This guy is a juggernaut of a talented fellow. I have absolutely no doubt it is going to be a good show.”
Fans of both Hurst and the game in general have taken to the internet to lament what this version of Kratos could have been, saying that the actor was perfect for the role despite the promo shot making him look wildly out of place. “How a photo taken all chill can give more of that Kratos vibe and essence than the other official one, retouched and supposedly more expensive. Sometimes less is more,” said one fan. Another added, “Well, literally it looks good like that. I don’t know why they don’t wait for the actor to recover and then continue. In total, we’ve waited for other things; why not for this series?”
In the wake of the injury that pulled Hurst from the project and the now even tighter timeline for production, Deadline has officially reported that Dave Bautista has been tapped to take over the role of Kratos, thanks in part to his former gig as a professional wrestler and the rigorous physical training he’s maintained even into his acting career.
