Dave Bautista Reveals Muscle Gain to Play Kratos in ‘God of War’

Dave Bautista is once again showing off his muscle gains ahead of stepping into the role of Kratos for the highly anticipated “God of War” series. The “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor last gave fans a glimpse into his transformation two months ago, saying he’d begun weight training again but still had time “to get to where I need to be.”

This time, Bautista shared a video on his Instagram story with the text “Gained 20 lbs for GOW” and a “250” sticker, indicating his current weight. Fittingly, the actor is wearing a “God of War” T-shirt in the post.

In August, Bautista signed on to play Kratos, replacing Ryan Hurst, who was originally cast and suffered an on-set injury that led Prime Video to replace him. (Hurst tore his bicep on set and required surgery that would have delayed production into 2027.) Filming began in Vancouver in February, but the production will have to reshoot all scenes with Hurst using Bautista.

The series will follow the story of the two most recent “God of War” video games, which follow Kratos as he raises his ten-year-old son Atreus (Callum Vinson) while battling gods of the Norse pantheon. Per the logline, “Father and son Kratos and Atreus embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.”

Prime Video gave “God of War” a two-season order, with the two seasons set to shoot back-to-back.

Bautista has starred in films including “My Spy,” “Knock at the Cabin,” “The Wrecking Crew” and more. He will next appear in “Road House 2” and the “Highlander” reboot.