Prime Video’s God of War to recast Kratos after Ryan Hurst injury
Ryan Hurst is recovering from surgery after tearing a bicep during a stunt, with Prime Video’s God of War now set to find a new Kratos.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Prime Video’s God of War series is moving ahead with a new Kratos after Ryan Hurst was seriously hurt while working on the Vancouver set, Deadline reported.
Hurst, who had been cast as the lead in the PlayStation game adaptation, tore a bicep while performing a stunt in late June, TMZ first reported. Deadline, citing sources, said the actor has since had surgery and is recovering.
The decision to recast was made by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios after review, according to Deadline. The production stopped filming immediately after the injury and remains on hiatus.
Deadline reported that Hurst’s recovery timeline remains unclear. For serious bicep tears requiring surgery, recovery is typically four to six months, with a return to full strength taking up to a year. Given the demanding nature of the Kratos role, Deadline said it likely would not have been safe for Hurst to return to filming until 2027.
According to Deadline’s sources, Hurst’s full recovery is being treated as the priority, but the time needed for that recovery was longer than the show’s production schedule could absorb.
A costly reset for the fantasy series
God of War began filming in February in Vancouver. Deadline reported that the show has a two-season order and that the plan is still to film both seasons back-to-back.
Four episodes had been fully completed before the injury, according to Deadline’s sources, while some sources said portions of additional episodes had also been shot. Those episodes are now expected to be filmed again with the actor who replaces Hurst as Kratos.
The recast also affects footage involving Atreus, the co-lead played by child actor Callum Vinson. Deadline noted that using much of the already-shot material would be difficult because Vinson is a young performer and children grow quickly.
Prep is expected to start in mid-August, with production expected to restart in mid-October, Deadline reported.
Who is in God of War?
The series comes from writer, executive producer and showrunner Ronald D. Moore. It follows Kratos and his son Atreus as they travel to scatter the ashes of Faye, their wife and mother. Along the way, Kratos tries to teach Atreus how to be a better god, while Atreus pushes his father toward becoming a better human.
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.
Hurst had taken on a major physical transformation for the part, adding 40 pounds of muscle, Deadline reported. The recasting comes as he is also appearing in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, which Deadline said opens Friday.
God of War is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios with PlayStation Productions and Moore’s Tall Ship Productions. Moore executive produces with 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 are co-executive producers. Frederick E.O. Toye directed the first two episodes.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.