Bautista back at 250 pounds for God of War Kratos role

Dave Bautista said he has gained 20 pounds and is back at 250 pounds as he prepares to play Kratos in Prime Video's God of War series, according to Deadline. The actor also said he has grown out his beard to look more like the character.

Bautista took over the Kratos role after Ryan Hurst, the series' original Kratos, was seriously injured during filming. Bautista shared his update on November 2, 2026.

The part marks another shift in weight for Bautista. In 2023 he went over 300 pounds while preparing for M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, and in 2024 he said he had slimmed down because he felt uncomfortably big, having lost 75 pounds through diet and jiu-jitsu training. He appeared noticeably slimmer that year at a special screening of Lionsgate's The Killer's Game.

His build-up for God of War has been running for months: in early September 2026 he said on Instagram that he was in his third week of weight training and needed two more months.

Production restarted after Hurst's injury

Hurst tore a bicep during a stunt in June 2026, four months into shooting the series. Deadline reported that filming would likely restart in mid-October in Vancouver from scratch, with no footage from the original shoot used.

The cast also includes Callum Vinson as Atreus, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri, Danny Woodburn as Brok, Sonya Walger as Freya, Island Austin as Thrud, Ben Chapple as Magni, Louis Cunningham as Modi and Evelyn Miller as Gna.