God of War TV Show Recasts Kratos After Ryan Hurst Tears Bicep on Set

Amazon MGM and Sony Pictures' God of War live-action series is recasting its lead after Ryan Hurst suffered a bicep tear while filming a stunt, forcing production to halt. The injury is severe enough to require surgery, and Hurst is now out of the role entirely rather than waiting for him to recover.

According to Deadline, the injury would have sidelined Hurst for up to six months, pushing filming into 2027 — longer than Amazon was willing to wait. Hurst had reportedly put on 40 lbs of muscle for the physically demanding role and had already filmed scenes for more than four episodes, all of which will need to be reshot with a new actor. The show is helmed by Ronald D. Moore, best known for Battlestar Galactica, who took over as showrunner in 2024 after Rafe Judkins exited the project. The series streams on Prime Video and still has no set release date.

The God of War adaptation has had a rough road since it was first teased in 2022. The 2024 showrunner change effectively rebooted the project, and the production was only recently getting back on track when this latest setback hit. Hurst's casting had already drawn skepticism from fans — Christopher Judge's portrayal of Kratos across the 2018 game and Ragnarök set a high bar, and a set photo released in February became widely mocked online. The rest of the cast remains in place: Callum Vinson as Atreus, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, and Alastair Duncan reprising Mimir from the games.

With Hurst out, the production's immediate priority is finding a new Kratos quickly enough to avoid further delays. Sony has been pushing to replicate the success of HBO's The Last of Us with its other PlayStation adaptations, and this setback is another reminder of how difficult that road has been.