Dave Bautista flexes muscles ahead of 'God of War' shoot
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American actor Dave Bautista is well into preparations for the physical requirements of the upcoming "God of War" series adaptation.
The former wrestler was cast for Prime Video last month to replace "Sons of Anarchy," "The Walking Dead" and "The Odyssey" actor Ryan Hurst after the latter tore his bicep on set.
The injury required surgery, which would have pushed production to continue again in 2027, and the streaming platform ultimately decided to recast by tapping Bautista.
Prime Video had ordered two seasons for the video game show adaptation to be shot back-to-back — another factor for the casting decision — and Bautista will need to reshoot the scenes Hurst had already done.
Bautista appears to be taking on the challenge well, though, after posting a video on social media showing the muscles he's been gaining back in order to portray the hero Kratos.
"3rd week in to weight training again. 2 more months to get to where I need to be. Like ridin a bike! LFG!" Bautista in the caption of the video where he even flexed his pecs.
Accompanying the post was Al Pacino's line from "The Godfather Part III" as Michael Corleone, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in," the Marvel star likely referencing how he's returning to another action-heavy role.
Past action outings include "Stuber," "Riddick," "Hotel Artemis," "The Killer's Game," "Trap House," two "Dune," Escape Plan," and "My Spy" movies, and most recently "The Wrecking Crew."
The upcoming series will follow the storylines of the two latest "God of War" games, where Kratos raises his ten-year old son Atreus (to be played by Callum Vinson) while fighting the Norse gods.
"Father and son Kratos and Atreus embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye," goes a logline for the show. "Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human."
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