Actor Dave Bautista, known for playing Drax in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films, is reportedly in talks with Amazon to take over the role of Kratos in its God of War live-action series. He would replace Ryan Hurst, who tore a bicep while filming and needs four to six months to recover, prompting Amazon to recast the physically demanding part.

Variety broke the news of Bautista's potential casting, noting he already has ties to Amazon through films such as The Wrecking Crew and My Spy, with Road House 2 and Highlander also in the pipeline. Four episodes had reportedly been filmed before Hurst's injury, with production due to resume in October; separately, casting calls have gone out for teenage actors to play an older Atreus and Thor's daughter Thrud, likely for a second series covering the Ragnarok storyline. A God of War spin-off game, Laufey, is also due in February.