Meet the Actor Who Will Play Kratos in the Live-Action God of War Series

Prime Video has finally cast the lead for its long-awaited live-action God of War series. Ryan Hurst, known for roles in Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead, will take on the role of Kratos, the Spartan warrior who becomes the God of War. Hurst previously voiced Thor in God of War: Ragnarok, giving him a connection to the franchise before stepping in front of the camera.

The series was first ordered by Prime Video in December 2022. The original creative team, including Rafe Judkins from The Wheel of Time and Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby from The Expanse, left the project in October 2024 after the producers decided to go in a different direction. Ronald D. Moore, known for Outlander and Battlestar Galactica, joined shortly after and is now the showrunner.

The series has been given a two-season order, and casting and preproduction are ongoing. Frederick E.O. Toye is set to direct the first two episodes.

The storyline will follow Kratos and his 10-year-old son, Atreus, from the most recent God of War games. According to the show’s logline, the father and son will travel 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,” the description reads.

Hurst, who recently appeared in Netflix’s western The Abandons and will star in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, has also worked on series like SWAT, Bosch, and The Mysterious Benedict Society. He is represented by UTA and Piper Kaniecki Marks Management.

The series is being produced by Sony Pictures TV, Amazon MGM Studios, PlayStation Productions, and Moore’s Tall Ship Productions. Executive producers include Moore, Maril Davis, Cory Barlog, Naren Shankar, Matthew Graham, Asad Qizilbash, Jeff Ketcham, Hermen Hulst, Roy Lee, and Brad Van Arragon. Joe Menosky, Marc Bernardin, Tania Lotia, and Ben McGinnis are co-executive producers.

God of War is based on the popular video game franchise created by David Jaffe and developed by Sony’s Santa Monica Studio. The games follow Kratos’ journey through Greek and Norse mythologies.

In the early Greek era, Kratos seeks vengeance against the Olympian gods. In the Norse era, he seeks redemption and becomes a father to Atreus. The franchise began in 2005 on PlayStation 2 and has grown to nine main games, plus several side titles and spin-offs. It has sold over 66 million copies worldwide as of November 2023 and is considered one of PlayStation’s most successful first-party brands.

The games have won multiple awards, including Game of the Year for the 2005 and 2018 installments. The series has also expanded into comics, novels, soundtracks, and merchandise. A film adaptation of the original game was once planned but canceled, making the Prime Video series the first major live-action adaptation of the Norse era.

With Hurst as Kratos and Ronald D. Moore at the helm, the God of War series looks set to bring the brutal and emotional story of Kratos and Atreus to a wider audience.

This casting is exciting because Hurst has experience in both intense action roles and complex emotional performances, which fits Kratos perfectly. It will be interesting to see how the series adapts the rich lore of the games. What do you think about Ryan Hurst as Kratos? Do you think he’s the right choice for the role? Share your thoughts in the comments.