Dave Bautista says he has gained 20 pounds to play Kratos in Prime Video’s God of War. In a November 1 Instagram Story, the former WWE wrestler put his current weight at 250 pounds.
The 57-year-old actor took the part in August, after filming had already begun in Vancouver. Among those who welcomed him was Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions. “He brings extraordinary presence, depth and humanity to the role,” Qizilbash wrote on LinkedIn.
Bautista plays a Spartan warrior grieving his wife, Faye. Callum Vinson plays their 10-year-old son, Atreus, who barely knows his father when the two set out across the Norse realms to scatter her ashes.
Two years earlier, Bautista was fielding questions about how much smaller he looked. He said some fans had expressed concern about his health as he slimmed down after Knock at the Cabin.
Bautista Flexes in His ‘God of War’ Shirt
Dave Bautista reveals he has gained 20 more pounds of muscle for playing Kratos in ‘GOD OF WAR’.
He has now reached 250 pounds. https://t.co/fUOr0P7EAB
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 1, 2026
In the new clip, Bautista wears a black God of War T-shirt, raises his arms and lets out a roar as he flexes. DiscussingFilm shared the footage on X that evening.
In early September, Bautista posted a video from his third week back lifting weights. He took off his shirt to show his progress and estimated he needed another two months to get where he wanted to be. “Like ridin a bike!” he wrote, according to Parade.
Why Bautista Wanted to Lose Weight After ‘Knock at the Cabin’
For M. Night Shyamalan’s 2023 thriller Knock at the Cabin, Bautista got up to about 315 pounds. He had little time between films and ate french fries and pancakes to gain the weight quickly, he said in a September 2024 interview with Chris Van Vliet.
Bautista remembered Shyamalan asking for “a great big guy.” The extra weight was uncomfortable and took him much longer to lose than it had taken him to gain. “I probably overdid it. I was probably a little too big,” he told Van Vliet.
By the time of the interview, he weighed about 240 pounds, roughly 75 below his weight for the movie. He said he felt better as he got lighter and preferred how he looked beside other actors on camera. At 6 feet 4 inches, he still felt his size could distract from a scene.
Ryan Hurst’s Injury Meant Reshooting the Original Kratos Scenes
Ryan Hurst had been filming as Kratos since February when he tore a biceps muscle during a stunt in June. He needed surgery, and waiting for him to recover would have pushed the production restart into 2027, according to Variety.
Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television recast the lead. Every scene Hurst had filmed as Kratos would need to be shot again with Bautista.
Ronald D. Moore is the showrunner, and Frederick E. O. Toye directs the opening two episodes. Prime Video has ordered two seasons, with plans to film them back to back. Production is underway and a premiere date has yet to be announced, according to Amazon.