
Summary
Ryan Hurst, who played the lead role in Amazon’s live-action God of War series, had to leave the show after tearing his bicep during a stunt. Because of this, Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television will need to find a new actor to play Kratos and re-film four episodes that were already finished. They expect filming to start up again in mid-October once a replacement is found.
Okay, so this is super frustrating as a God of War fan – it sounds like the live-action show just hit a huge snag. Apparently, Ryan Hurst, who was going to play Kratos, seriously injured his bicep doing a stunt on set and needed surgery right away. They’re saying he needs months to recover, and instead of pausing production on this massive series, Amazon and Sony have decided to recast the role of Kratos. It’s a bummer for Hurst, but they need to keep things moving, I guess.
Replacing a main actor during filming is very unusual and expensive, especially for high-quality TV shows. This was particularly challenging because the actor had already finished shooting four episodes in Vancouver. He’d also made a significant physical commitment to the role of the Spartan warrior, gaining 40 pounds of muscle. Plus, he’s well known to fans of the PlayStation world as the voice of Thor in the popular God of War Ragnarök game.
The production team has to completely redo all four episodes, throwing out everything that was previously filmed. The show is based on the 2018 God of War game – a new take on the popular franchise – and tells the story of Kratos and his son Atreus as they travel through dangerous mythical worlds. To stay on track with their plan to film both seasons consecutively, the studio had to make the tough choice to replace some actors.
Ronald D. Moore is still leading the project despite recent changes. Callum Vinson will play Atreus, with Mandy Patinkin as Odin and Ed Skrein as Baldur. Filming is currently stopped while they look for a major actor to take on the lead role. They plan to start preparing for additional filming in August, with hopes of resuming work in Vancouver around mid-October.
2026-07-20 09:56