Dave Bautista in Talks to Join God of War TV Series as Kratos

Dave Bautista is reportedly in talks to become Kratos in Prime Video’s live-action God of War TV series.

According to Variety and Deadline, Bautista has entered discussions to become PlayStation’s beloved, brooding protagonist. The news comes just a few weeks after actor Ryan Hurst was dropped from the series after a bicep injury, which will require surgery. The production opted to recast Kratos as Hurst’s injury means he won’t be able to return to the series until sometime next year. If Bautista signs on, the plan is to get the show up and rolling again by the fall.

One advantage of Bautista provided by sources is that the actor is naturally already bulked up and wouldn’t need months of training in order to get into the physique fans expect from Kratos. The actor is best known for his physical stature, having played Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and hulking foes in films like Blade Runner 2049. He also has a history as a professional wrestler in the WWE, so he has the physical chops for it. The actor has also been looking to stretch his acting muscles, and a character like Kratos may allow him the opportunity to do so.

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The actor previously campaigned to star in another adaptation of a franchise that has the GoW acronym: Gears of War. In 2018, he noted that Marcus Fenix was a “dream role” and that he’d actively been pursuing it with the rights holders. He later revealed that Universal, which was once developing Gears of War, wanted him to join the Fast and Furious franchise, but he turned it down in favor of pitching Gears of War. Now, Netflix is developing a Gears of War film, but it seems like PlayStation and Amazon may have beaten them to the punch.

Thanks to a report from MP1st, rumors also swirled over the weekend that the God of War TV series may be looking to recast Atreus actor Callum Vinson starting in season 2. It’s believed this will allow the series to shoot quickly without having to wait for Vinson to grow up, as there is a three-year time jump between God of War 2018 and God of War Ragnarok, which will likely be the basis for season 2.

To top it all off, multiple new God of War games are also in the works. God of War Laufey is slated to release this coming February, while a new Kratos-led God of War game is also in development.

Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.