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Published Sep 3, 2026, 2:40 PM EDT
The Prime Video series comes with big expectations for Kratos' physique
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Playing the God of War in the upcoming Prime Video television series comes with certain expectations. Kratos, the series' protagonist, is a demigod with chiseled abs most people could only dream of. Dave Bautista, the actor portraying the PlayStation icon, has his work cut out for him — a wild thing to consider, given that he's already a beefy man.
Bautista is working on it, though, as evidenced by a recent short clip the actor shared on social media. The Guardians of the Galaxy star said he was three weeks into his new weight training program, and that he had "2 more months to get where I need to be." Where Bautista needs to be is Kratos-sized and sculpted.
Bautista makes it sound like filming for Kratos hasn't begun yet, which makes sense. The production restarted in summer 2026 after an on-set accident. The original actor who was cast as Kratos, Ryan Hurst, tore his bicep while performing a stunt. Prime Video had to scrap several episodes that were reportedly already completed.
Hurst's initial casting was also the source of much controversy, as fans believed that the show did a poor job of capturing Kratos' menacing look. Early photographs hailing from the set were ridiculed on social media after they were released. Fans received Bautista's casting with more enthusiasm, but the actor still faces the daunting task of bulking up to borderline unrealistic proportions.
Bautista did not share a workout routine, which is a shame. Fellow Sony series star Tom Holland went viral earlier in 2026 after sharing a Spider-Man: Brand New Day workout where he did as many sets as possible within 20 minutes. That set consisted of five pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats; Holland claimed he could usually do at least 20 rounds of that circuit within the allotted time. The Odyssey movie also made waves in fitness circles as viewers came up with challenges that mimicked the difficulty of Odysseus stringing his infamous warbow. I'm sure the God of War routine would have done numbers!
The first season of the show is set to follow the events of the 2018 game, where Kratos and his son Atreus go on a journey to spread the ashes of their spouse and mother, Faye. Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore will be the series showrunner. There are only a couple of months before Bautista gets on the call sheet, but he sounds ready for it.
"Like ridin a bike!" Bautista said. "LFG!💪🏽"
God of War is expected to arrive on Prime Video sometime in late 2027 or early 2028. The show has already been greenlit for two seasons.
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