Ex-God of War star Ryan Hurst, who departed the Amazon production after an injury, has shown off a fresh look at his Kratos – and it's way better than the show's first official look.
As posted on his Instagram Stories (and preserved on social media below), Hurst shared a picture of his depiction of the ashen Ghost of Sparta.
Ryan Hurst in his latest Instagram story as Kratos from the live-action ‘GOD OF WAR’ series. pic.twitter.com/YX6hdvAWqVAugust 8, 2026
All told, this is a vast improvement on God of War's debut image released this past February. There, Hurst's Kratos and Callum Vinson's Atreus better resembled professional cosplayers on a photoshoot than anything close to a TV-level adaptation of the beloved PlayStation series.
Original God of War creator and director David Jaffe wasn't a fan, to put it mildly – nor was an expectant audience.
Before Hurst and company could claw back goodwill, disaster struck. An injury to Hurst forced Amazon to recast the role of Kratos and reshoot multiple episodes with a new actor.
Dave Bautista is in talks to replace Hurst as Kratos, with there also being – slightly more unsubstantiated – reports that Atreus would be recast after the first season.
Over on the games side of things, there's a lot less drama. God of War: Laufey, a new title starring Deborah Ann Woll's Giant, is set to release on February 16, 2027. At SDCC, it was confirmed that a new Kratos-led game is also in development and "directly connects to the events of the Laufey game."
The God of War TV show also stars Mandy Patinkin, Teresa Palmer, Max Parker, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Ed Skrein.
For more, check out the other new TV shows currently in the works.
