Ryan Hurst injured on set, replaced as Kratos in Amazon's God of War series

Ryan Hurst, who played Harry "Opie" Winston on Sons of Anarchy, was cast as the leading role of Kratos in the new God of War series coming to Amazon Prime Video. The actor suffered a serious injury on the set of the drama, which is a video game adaptation that fans have been eagerly awaiting. It follows a father and son who embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother.  

According to Deadline, Hurst will no longer be portraying Kratos after tearing a bicep while performing a stunt for the show. The incident caused production to pause, and it is still on hiatus.

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As the outlet stated, “This is a heartbreaking development for Hurst, who underwent a physical transformation after getting the role, putting on 40 pounds of muscle, and worked hard for months on the Vancouver set filming the physically demanding role until getting hurt performing his duties.”

They continued, “Hurst’s projected recovery time is unclear, but for a serious bicep tear requiring surgery, it is typically 4-6 months, with a return to full strength taking up to a year. Given the physicality of the role, it will likely not have been safe for Hurst to resume filming until 2027. According to sources, while Hurst’s full recovery is a priority, the period required for it was longer than the production shooting schedule could accommodate, leading to the difficult decision to recast the role.”

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Deadline also reported that four episodes of the show have already been completed. Each episode will have to be reshot with the new actor that they select to portray Kratos. The co-lead, who is played by Callum Vinson, will most likely have to refilm his parts as well, since he is a child actor and may look different when filming future episodes than he did in the completed episodes.

Hurst is currently appearing in Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of The Odyssey, which is in theaters now. The film also includes Tom Holland,  Zendaya, Elliot Page, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, and Robert Pattinson.