‘God of War’: Prime Video Series Casts ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Star Ryan Hurst as Kratos!!

The Ghost of Sparta has arisen. Sons of Anarchy star Ryan Hurst has officially been tapped to play the highly-coveted role of Kratos in Prime Video‘s God of War video game adaptation. It marks a surprising return for the star to the PlayStation franchise, having previously voiced one of the titular protagonist’s former almighty foes, Thor, in the 2022 sequel God of War: Ragnarök. With his addition, casting is now well underway, and pre-production has begun in Vancouver under series writer, showrunner, and executive producer Ronald D. Moore.

Hurst not only brings the gruff facade to Kratos, but furthers the show’s ties to the Norse mythology-based chapter of the franchise. Moore‘s God of War series will forego Kratos’ Greek origins, from his rise as a Spartan commander to the death of his family, his revenge against Ares, and his murder spree through the Greek pantheon, in favor of picking up where the 2018 reboot began. Instead of being a fierce slayer of gods, mortals, and monsters alike, he’ll be tackling one of his greatest challenges ever — being a father. Following his wife Faye’s death, Kratos sets out with his son Atreus on a journey to fulfill her final wish by spreading her ashes atop the highest peak in the Nine Realms. Their deeply personal adventure not only pits them against more godly Norse adversaries but serves as a bonding experience, as Kratos tries to instill in his boy how to be a better god, while Atreus ultimately teaches his father how to be a better human.

Although it took time and a complete rework to get a God of War adaptation off the ground at Amazon, the question of who would ultimately play the Ghost of Sparta has remained a hot topic ever since the series was announced. Christopher Judge, who played Kratos in both Norse-based games and even snagged a Best Performance win at the Game Awards in 2022 for Ragnarök, was a popular pick to reprise the role in live-action. However, Hurst brings quite the resume to the role, too. He earned a BAFTA nomination for playing Thor, though, outside of gaming, he remains best known as a regular across the big and small screen, whether as Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans or Opie Winston in Sons of Anarchy. More recently, he was seen reuniting with Sons mastermind Kurt Sutter on his starry Netflix western series, The Abandons. Hurst will also be getting a little Greek mythology experience, even if it’s not as Kratos, when he appears in Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey this summer.

Who Else Is Involved in Bringing ‘God of War’ to Life?

God of War is the latest massive video game undertaking for Prime Video, following in the wake of Fallout‘s success. With ten wildly successful installments following Kratos’s journey, it’s one of PlayStation‘s most recognizable properties, making it a massive responsibility for the streamer to get right, especially with a two-season order already given out. Moore has a long track record of success as an Emmy-winning showrunner of Battlestar Galactica and Outlander fame, but he also has a talented team around him for the video game series, including Shōgun director Frederick E.O. Toye, who’s set to helm the first two episodes. Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios are co-producing the series in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions.