Dave Bautista has replaced Ryan Hurst as Kratos in Amazon's God of War series. Hurst had to leave the show due to a severe injury when filming, leading Guardians of the Galaxy star Bautista to enter talks before he confirmed the news with a post on his Instagram account.
However, it seems like the news was actually manifested four years ago. As one fan spotted, there's a reference to Bautista's Guardians of the Galaxy character being the "God of War" in the movie's Disney Plus Christmas special.
As can be seen in this clip posted to Reddit, Drax and Mantis pose with fans in front of a Christmas tree in Hollywood. "Okay amazing, thank you so much," the photographer says, "We got a picture with the God of War!" It's an easy to miss moment that pokes fun at how Drax and Kratos actually look pretty similar. If you squint…
Fans have rallied to see Bautista in the role for many years and so it's not surprising that this has made it into the pop culture-loaded Guardians of the Galaxy series. James Gunn, who penned the script for that, is well known for his tongue-in-cheek dialogue, but it's fun to see this referenced in light of the recent news.
With Bautista's casting confirmed, it's expected that the God of War production will resume in Vancouver soon. Amazon has given the show a two-season order, which is due to shoot back to back.
For more upcoming video game adaptations, check out our guides to The Legend of Zelda, The Last of Us season 3, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4.
