Production on Amazon's God of War show has taken a serious speed bump. Actor Ryan Hurst, who played Kratos, suffered an injury on set that meant he could no longer continue in the role, meaning the search for a new leading man was now underway.
To recast Amazon's Kratos
The shocking incident was revealed by Deadline this morning. According to the site, Hearst suffered a torn bicep while filming the show. The actor has already undergone surgery to help repair the tear; However, the recovery time for a serious injury is about four to six months. It's likely that Hearst would take a year to return to full strength, leaving it on the shelf well into 2027.
Those working on the show are reportedly weighing their options and have finally decided that waiting on Hearst and moving forward with him as their Kratos would push the show's timeline of the war too far. So they are now trying to find a new actor to play Kratos. There is currently no indication of who they may have in mind.
Four episodes had already been filmed with Hearst
This means, once a new Kratos actor is chosen, filming will have to begin. This is going to present a significant shock as it is believed that filming on four episodes with Hearst has already wrapped, taking part in other episodes as well. It won't be a case of Hearst's replacement stepping in to pick up where Hearst left off, but those four episodes being scrapped and re-filmed with a new actor.
The work to find the new Kratos is expected to be quick, as the goal is to ramp up production and relaunch between August and October. It's a real blow to Hearst, who worked hard to sculpt a body that fit the role. The actor packed on 40 pounds of muscle before filming. A mixed week for the actor, despite this devastating setback, he is also starring in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which hits theaters this weekend.
We've only seen one shot of Hirst as Kratos, a photo from the set of the God of War adaptation that shows him training Atreus, played by Calum Vinson. The shot divided fans as many did not see Hearst as a very convincing Kratos. Hearst responded to the criticism by warning fans not to believe everything they see. Sadly, we never get a good sense of what Kratos Hurst was going to be like.
