Prime Video’s highly anticipated live-action adaptation of God of War has undergone a dramatic major casting shift. Following an unfortunate on-set accident that left original lead Ryan Hurst with a severe bicep tear during intense stunt work earlier this year, the production has swiftly secured Dave Bautista to step into the iconic, battle-scarred boots of Kratos. The sudden recasting marks a monumental transition for the high-profile fantasy series, positioning the powerhouse actor to take on the legendary role of the Ghost of Sparta as production charges ahead.

Now, Dave Bautista has given a glimpse into his preparation for fitting into the boots of the iconic character.

In preparation for playing Kratos, Dave Bautista has been working out twice as hard, as evidenced by a recently released video. The former WWE star, who is best known to moviegoers as Drax the Destroyer from Guardians of the Galaxy, posted an update on his physical training for the new live-action God of War series on Instagram. 

"Third week in to weight training again. Two more months to get to where I need to be. Like ridin’ a bike!” Bautista posted a training video to Instagram with this as the caption. 

Following a setback that caused the project's initial casting to go awry, Bautista was confirmed as a late replacement in the lead role, and the post reveals that he is back in hard training mode. Actor Ryan Hurst, who was first cast to play Kratos but was ultimately forced to leave the movie due to severe injuries sustained while filming.

According to what he said in his Instagram post, Bautista is roughly one-third of the way through his transformation into Kratos, the powerful, muscular figure made famous by Sony's God of War video game franchise. Packing on size for a part is nothing new to him, given his experience as a professional wrestler, but the timeframe he's laid down provides viewers with the best idea yet of how far along the process is.

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The project, which seems to be getting delayed for some reason, has sparked curiosity regarding the beginning of production for the series.

Production on the God of War series was supposed to pick back up in mid-October, according to earlier sources. Bautista's own statement that he still needs "two more months" to be prepared, however, suggests that a resumption is more likely to occur in late October or early November. When filming resumes, Bautista will be joined by a cast that includes Callum Vinson as Atreus, Teresa Palmer as Sif, and Lélafur Darriňlafsson as Thor, among other unidentified actors.

The series, which is being made for Prime Video, follows the connection between Kratos and his son Atreus as they travel through the realm of Norse mythology. It is based on the plot of Sony's 2018 God of War and its 2022 sequel, God of War Ragnarök. There is no release date attached to the project yet.

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What do you think about Dave Bautista’s preparation for the God of War series? Do let us know in the comments.