God of War at Amazon: Ryan Hurst injured, the series already looking for a new Kratos

Four episodes already filmed, and now everything needs to be recast: Amazon's God of War series loses its Kratos after an on-set injury. Big trouble - and an adaptation that starts off badly.

The basic pitch

Amazon Prime Video has been preparing for some time a live-action adaptation of God of War, the saga by Santa Monica Studio. We're talking about a heavy project, big budget, with the ambition to span several seasons to cover at least the Nordic arc (Ragnarök). Kratos is central: the series doesn't hold up if he isn't embodied.

What just happened

According to The Verge (which relies on Deadline), Ryan Hurst - the tattooed colossus seen in Sons of Anarchy - had been cast for Kratos in January. He had already filmed four episodes when an injury on the set put him out of commission. The production now has to recast the lead role and, probably, reshoot the concerned scenes. For a show of this size, we're talking about several months of delay and a bill that is seriously increasing.

My opinion

Frankly, it smells bad. Not because Ryan Hurst wasn't the right choice - physically, he fit, and his abrasive acting matched well with the angry Kratos of the old generation. But because recasting a lead role after four episodes already in the can, it forces to redo part of the creative work: acting direction, dynamics with the rest of the cast, editing. The historical case study remains Back to the Future in 1985: Eric Stoltz had filmed five weeks in the role of Marty McFly before Zemeckis and Spielberg decided to replace him with Michael J. Fox and reshoot all the concerned scenes. The bill had exploded, the result was unexpected - but it's the kind of miracle that can't be budgeted.

The other unknown is the choice that will follow. Fans want a Kratos who appears overwhelming without CGI - a massive guy, physically present, with the voice to match. The pool isn't huge: Dave Bautista is too identified, Jason Momoa already has Aquaman/DC, Chris Hemsworth won't touch it after Thor. We can hope for a less known choice that takes the risk.

Comparison

Amazon has shown that they know how to do a gaming adaptation with Fallout (excellent first season). They have also shown that they know how to mess it up with The Rings of Power. God of War inherits a more dense narrative heritage than Fallout and more concentrated than LOTR - it's playable, but not with a pre-production that collapses after four episodes.

Note & provisional verdict

Nothing to note for now - no episode aired. But the concern is real.

• To remember: weakened project, almost certain delay, main cast to redo.
• For whom: hardcore fans of the saga who want to follow the development; those who are just waiting for the result can come back in a year.