'God of War' Has Bigger Problems Than a Crappy First Look Photo

It’s been a minute since we checked in on Amazon’s live-action God of War series. By all accounts, the show has been quietly chugging along after the First Look photo controversy from earlier in the year did not instill a whole lot of confidence. No news is good news, right? Well, things just went to hell in a handbasket.

TMZ first broke the news that Kratos actor Ryan Hurst tore his bicep in an on-set injury that would reportedly pause production until 2027 while he recovered from surgery. Considering Hurst is the titular God of War, him being out of commission obviously ground everything to a halt. Or did it?

In a wild move that broke very late Thursday night, Amazon is reportedly recasting Kratos. Yup, you read that right. The show is replacing its lead actor.

Via Deadline:

Hurst’s projected recovery time is unclear but for a serious bicep tear requiring surgery, it is typically 4-6 months, with a return to full strength taking up to a year. Given the physicality of the role, it will likely not have been safe for Hurst to resume filming until 2027.

According to sources, while Hurst’s full recovery is a priority, the period required for it was longer than the production shooting schedule could accommodate, leading to the difficult decision to recast the role.

Prep is expected to begin [in] mid-August for a mid-October production start.

As Deadline notes, Hurst went through an insane amount of strength training for the role and added 40 pounds of muscle to play the Ghost of Sparta in his Norwegian era. So, this development really has to suck. First, everyone hates the first image of your character through no fault of your own, and now, what was presumably a year of prep and shooting just went down the drain.

Not to mention, Hurst was a solid casting choice. I don’t even know who they’ll find to fill the role and how much will have to be reshot. Maybe… video games should just stay as video games? Just look at Fallout. What is that show even about? I honestly couldn’t tell you.