Ryan Hurst is out as Kratos in Prime Video’s adaptation for “God of War” after suffering from a stunt injury on the set.
On Thursday, reports surfaced that production had halted on the live-action retelling of the popular PlayStation video game after the lead actor Hurst tore his bicep in a stunt in late June. The injury required Hurst to undergo surgery, but is said to be recovering.
As word of Hurst’s injury surfaced online, Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, the studios behind the highly anticipated show, decided to recast the part altogether. The role of Kratos demands intense physicality, and it’s currently unclear how much time Hurst would need to fully heal from from his injury and subsequent surgery.
“God of War” remains on hiatus amid this development. Though, the show is expected to pick production back up in mid-October.
Hurst was set to star in the series as Kratos, the warrior protagonist of the long-running “God of War” series created by David Jaffe. While the first games, which started in 2005 from developer Santa Monica Studio and publisher Sony Computer Entertainment, showed Kratos fighting in a world of Greek mythology, newer entries in the series have transitioned to the Norse pantheon of gods.
The show is based on those newer games: a “God of War” reboot from 2018 and its sequel, “God of War Ragnarök,” from 2022. In those games, Kratos teams up with his son, Atreus, played in the Prime Video show by Callum Vinson. Christopher Judge and Sunny Suljic play Kratos and Atreus respectively in the 2018 and 2022 PlayStation games.
Other cast members for the live-action adaptation include Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor.
A first look at Kratos and Atreus in the series was unveiled in February as the first season began production. The show has already been renewed for Season 2.
Ronald D. Moore created the live-action adaptation and serves as showrunner. The show is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios, PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions.
A new game in the “God of War” series, titled “God of War Laufey,” was announced in June. Deborah Ann Woll stars as Kratos’ wife and Atreus’ mother Faye, joined by Jack Quaid as a cosmic cube named Phranque.
Deadline first reported news of Hurst’s recasting.
