HIGHLANDER’s new KURGAN is also set to be the GOD OF WAR…

Dave Bautista is having a busy time. He saved the universe as Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of movies, he’s been filming his role as the Kurgan in the Highlander reboot and now comes official confirmation that he will be playing Kratos in the television adaptation of best-selling PS5 game. There had been rumours of his involvement since the production hit problems in June.

The show faced a massive hurdle with the news that its lead Ryan Hurst (also to be seen in Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey) had to be replaced – even after four full episodes were completed. The actor was seriously hurt during a stunt being filmed in June, the result being that he tore a bicep and the injury will require months of repair and recuperation. Though recasting is a rare occurrence and in itself immensely costly, Hurst’s downtime would have ruled him out of returning to the role until at least well into 2027 and the production – which is filming seasons one and two back-to-back – simply couldn’t halt everything beyond the enforced hiatus with which it is having to currently deal.

The God of War story tells the tale of Kratos (Hurst) and his son Atreus (Callum Vinson) as they journey to spread the ashes of Kratos’ wife Faye and how the father tries to teach the son to be a better god and Atreus teaches his father how to be a better human. This is helped and hindered by some of the other mythological deities and figures including Odin (Mandy Patinkin), Baldur (Ed Skrein), Heimdall (Max Parker), Thor (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), Sif (Teresa Palmer), Mimir (Alastair Duncan), Sindri (Jeff Gulka) and Brok (Danny Woodburn).

Hurst – who had actually voiced the role of Thor in the PlayStation title God of War: Ragnarok – underwent a massive physical transformation to play the part of Kratos on screen but doctors say that the four months of recovery time could be further extended by the time needed to regain the strength and flexibility needed for the role.  Emmy-winning director Frederick E.O. Toye (best known for Shōgun, The Boys and Fallout), had directed the first two episodes with Hurst in front of the camera, but none of that is now useable. He is set to return to refilm the episodes with Bautista.

God of War‘s showrunner is Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica) and the  Sony Pictures / Amazon MGM series was expected to launch in 2027 – it is not known if the reshoots will push the date back significantly, but Bautista was already in bulked up shape and fit after spending the last few months on the Highlander shoot.