The television adaptation of God of War, pursued by Prime Video, has weathered a number of ups and downs, but the recent choice to cast Dave Bautista may have provided a lifeline for the series. Even before Bautista, Ryan Hurst had been chosen as the lead, but he was replaced after a serious injury during filming. But why wasn’t Christopher Judge, the original voice of Kratos in the video games, considered?
The original voice of Kratos in God of War comments on Dave Bautista’s entrance into the cast and reveals why he did not want to portray him in live action
Guest at Fan Expo Canada, speaking with Collider, Christopher Judge addressed the change to the God of War cast and voiced his support for Dave Bautista. “First of all, I want anything related to God of War to be fantastic.” He then commented on Ryan Hurst’s departure: “With Ryan, I thought he was absolutely the right choice. He played all the games. He’s a gamer and a new dad; in other words, who better than him? Then, when he got injured, I wondered: ‘Will they take the time to assess his situation and bring him back?’ So, when I heard Bautista’s name, I thought: ‘Didn’t he just lose something like 45 pounds?’ I hope he will be fantastic. I think he will be fantastic. I just hope that taking back all that weight won’t cause him health problems.”
From the outset of the development of the TV adaptation, Christopher Judge had been one of the fan favorites to portray Kratos in the flesh, but he was not excited about the idea: “I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want, at 62, to be working 16- to 18-hour days. I didn’t want to be on a constant diet, I didn’t want to train constantly.” He had hesitated slightly when he discussed it with his nephew, but then he made the final decision. “We had talked about it and I was happy to leave a great legacy to my nephew, so I started training, I became more muscular, but then the reality of the matter hit… because I had read the script! I had read it and it was so hard for me to memorize all the lines, something that had never given me trouble before. And my mind and body started telling me: ‘You don’t want to do this.’ I was a lead actor on Stargate SG-1 from ages 33 to 44 and then I stopped. Now, at 62, being the lead again… I have no desire to live that way again.”
All that matters to him is that whoever plays Kratos truly cares for the character: “So all I want is that they find someone… who loves this character as much as all of us do, and who lets go completely. Don’t be afraid to be emotional. Don’t be afraid to be sensitive or anything else. As long as you’re guided by honesty and love, it will be fantastic. So I’m happy for him.”
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