God of War TV show Kratos actor says he's "grateful to pick up the axe"

There was a surge of news surrounding video game adaptations this week. Not only did Sophie Turner get Tomb Raider-ready as Lara Croft, but Amazon also announced their pick to become the former Ghost of Sparta, aka Kratos, in their upcoming God of War series.

Former Sons of Anarchy star Ryan Hurst has been announced to take on the live-action version of the role for the show, which is being penned by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, For All Mankind, Outlander). For Hurst, it’s hardly new territory, given that he already went toe-to-toe with Kratos (played by Christopher Judge in the game) as this franchise's Thor in God of War: Ragnarok.

Following the announcement, Hurst took to Instagram expressing his excitement about becoming Kratos and taking up the Leviathan Axe, while sitting in front of a monster screen. “Used to play as him. Now I get to be him,” Hurst wrote. “Grateful to pick up the axe, and honored by the fans who made this story legendary.”

Thankfully, the man who previously helped bring the character back into the video game fold is happy with the choice. Judge took on the role of Kratos in 2018, leading the epic father-son journey, and recently shared his thoughts on the axe being passed to Hurst. "Congrats, Ryan!!!! You’re gonna be great… BOI !!!”

Currently, there’s no confirmed release date set for the series, but hopefully, developing news won’t be as hard to recover as Odin’s ravens. In the meantime, here’s every show heading our way in 2026 to keep us busy.