7 Stars Who Could Play Kratos In Amazon's God Of War Series
Are you listening boy (and girl) - a live-action God of War is finally on the way to a screen near you? Off the back of the news that Amazon and Sony could join forces for a long-awaited adaptation, hopes of an R-rated God of War movie have seemingly moved from the silver screen to Amazon's streaming service.
God of War has been a driving force of the video game industry since Kratos first picked up the Blades of Chaos in 2005, and although it looked like his story was finished with 2013's God of War: Ascension, the franchise came back in a big way with 2018's move into Norse mythology. This era will end with this year's God of War Ragnarok, although none of us are buying that this is really it.
With 17 years of lore and TWO eras of mythology to pick through, the world is Amazon's oyster in terms of whether it wants to focus on the junior and rage-filled Kratos of his Greek days or the more mature version who became a gruff father in Norse mythology. As Kratos prepares to flex his muscles in live-action, it's sure to be one of the industry's must-have roles. So, who should be playing the bald brute? Let's look at the candidates.
Jason Momoa
Click to enlargeJason Momoa is no stranger to fantasy epics, and after playing (the short-lived) Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, his trajectory to the top of Tinsel Town has been unstoppable. These days, he's known as the cheeky Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman in the Worlds of DC. Importantly, Momoa playing Kratos would be just another reason for him to go topless.
More than just a generic fan casting, we suggest you check out Momoa in Apple+'s Frontier series. For another look at his range, remember he played the heroic Duncan Idaho in Dennis Villeneuve's epic Dune from last year. The only problem is, Momoa would have to shave his signature hair if audiences were going to accept him as Kratos.
Gerard Butler
Click to enlargeBearing in mind there's been whispers about a God of War movie since way back when the first game slashed its way onto the PlayStation 2, could things come full-circle. Following the release of 300 just one year later, it didn't take long for Gerard Butler's name to be linked to Kratos.
We know it might come across as a case of "Oh, we cast that guy from that Greek mythology movie," but there's a lot to be said for the idea of Butler as Kratos - and it's more than just he was a buff brute as King Leonidas.
Butler had an infamously gruelling workout to get in shape for 300, and while you're only as old as you feel, he's now 16 years older than he was back then. Still, with the star showing his action movie prowess in the seemingly never-ending [BLANK] Has Fallen series, he'd make a great Kratos.
Triple H
Click to enlargeStick with us on this one. Could Triple H be the next WWE favourite to tread the boards as a Hollywood megastar? Following Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dave Bautista, and John Cena, Triple H could be a major surprise as an actor who can rake in the big bucks.
Ironically, Triple H has starred in movies before - with his debut being as a grunt in 2004's Blade: Trinity. Apart from that, he's mainly starred as himself in the likes of Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery and Surf's Up 2: WaveMania. Admittedly, this casting relies a lot on "Hey, doesn't he look like Kratos?" but we've seen worse ideas.
Tom Hardy
Click to enlargeDitching his controversial Bane voice from The Dark Knight Rises and moving away from the fan-favourite Alfie Solomons of Peaky Blinders, Tom Hardy is sure to be a popular choice as a young Kratos. Stepping up from being that skinny guy from Black Hawk Down, Hardy has appeared in everything from Bronson to Inception.
Hardy might be known for biographical dramas playing the aforementioned Charles Bronson and even the Kray Twins, but also remember he's Venom in Sony's Spider-Man movies. Arguably one of the most versatile actors on this list, Hardy could easily put his own stamp on Kratos if we go down the route of his Greek origin.
Like most of these entries, there's a caveat for why Hardy might not be ideal. The star has spoken about how his many body transformations have wrecked his body - with Bane being the most arduous. Even though Hardy has been warned one more bulk could destroy his body forever, we'd love to see him get jacked to play Kratos.
Christopher Judge
Click to enlargeIf the world was a just place, it would be Christoper Judge playing Kratos in live-action. Some might always associate Judge with playing Teal'c in Stargate SG-1, however, others will know him as the modern Kratos. After Terrence C. Carson stepped away from the role following Ascension, Judge voiced Kratos in 2018's God of War and this year's Ragnarok.
Judge is firmly part of the GoW family, and even admitted that his poor health meant the team stood by him and delayed Ragnarok to make sure he could fulfil his duties. Herein lies the problem. In some ideal world, Judge would make the leap from video game to live-action, but with the man himself openly discussing his health problems, we just don't see it happening.
Nick Offerman
Although the concept of Parks & Recreation's Nick Offerman shaving his head and taking on the challenge of Kratos seemingly started as a joke, it soon took off. It all started when Neil Gaiman asked the Twitterverse to post a picture of themselves looking like the head of a criminal organisation. Offerman shared a bald version of himself... and the replies soon exploded.
If we're going to focus on the Norse era of Kratos, we can think of no one better than Offerman. Away from playing the loveable (but terrifying) Swanson in Parks & Rec, the 51-year-old is remembered for The Lego Movie, Fargo, and Pam & Tommy.
As well as showing his range as everything from a comedic side character to terrifying mobster, Offerman is no stranger to video game adaptations thanks to an upcoming turn in HBO's The Last of Us series.
Dave Bautista
Click to enlargeFinally, another easy sell would be Guardians of the Galaxy's Dave Bautista. As a wrestler who has swapped the ring for the screen, Bautista rose to prominence thanks to his role as Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
There are sure to be those who will champion The Rock for Kratos, but there's something about Bautista and his hardened persona that just makes him feel like he fits the mould. He definitely has the physique of Kratos' broad shoulders nailed.
Bautista is hot property, and after appearing as the stoic Mr. Hinx in Spectre, he's landed major parts in Blade Runner 2049, Army of the Dead, and Dune. Bautista's A-list status shouldn't put you off the idea of him appearing in God of War, and as The Witcher has shown us with Henry Cavill or The Last of Us with Pedro Pascal, video game adaptations can lure in the big boys.
