Prime Video’s highly anticipated God of War series has been thrown into turmoil after lead actor Ryan Hurst suffered a serious injury while filming, forcing producers to recast the role of Kratos.
Hurst, 50, reportedly tore his bicep while performing a stunt on the Vancouver set in late June. The injury required surgery, and the actor is now recovering.
Production on the live-action PlayStation adaptation was immediately halted and has not yet resumed.
Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios reportedly decided they could not delay the series long enough to accommodate Hurst’s recovery. The Sons of Anarchy alum was not expected to be medically cleared to return to filming until sometime in 2027.
The decision marks a crushing turn for Hurst, who reportedly gained roughly 40 pounds of muscle to transform himself into Kratos, the powerful Spartan warrior at the center of the hit video game franchise.
Hurst had already spent months filming the fantasy series and completed work on four episodes. Those episodes will now have to be reshot once a replacement actor is selected.
Preparations for the major reshoot are expected to begin in mid-August, with cameras reportedly scheduled to start rolling again in mid-October.
Prime Video has not yet announced who will replace Hurst in the lead role.
The upcoming series is based on the blockbuster God of War video games and follows Kratos and his young son, Atreus, as they embark on a dangerous journey through the world of Norse mythology.
Hurst had a previous connection to the franchise after providing the voice of Thor in the 2022 video game God of War Ragnarök.
The cast also includes Callum Vinson as Atreus, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ed Skrein as Baldur and Teresa Palmer as Sif. The series had already received a two-season order from Prime Video before the unexpected production setback.
The painful injury now leaves producers racing to find a new Kratos while facing the costly task of reshooting months of completed work