Amazon Casts Ryan Hurst As Kratos For Prime Video God of War Series, Bringing Ragnarok Thor Actor Into The Lead Role
Amazon’s upcoming God of War live action series just locked in its first confirmed casting, and it is a choice that will instantly resonate with fans who lived through the Norse saga. Prime Video has announced that Ryan Hurst, best known in the franchise as the voice of Thor in God of War Ragnarok, will take on the role of Kratos for the series headed to Prime Video. The reveal arrived through a post from the official Prime Video account on Prime Video on X that reads Meet Ryan Hurst, your Kratos in the God of War series coming to Prime Video.
Meet Ryan Hurst, your Kratos in the God of War series coming to Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/W1kFgW3GtF
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) January 14, 2026
The casting is a meaningful signal for what kind of adaptation Amazon and PlayStation Productions are aiming to build. Hurst is already battle tested inside the God of War tone and performance language, delivering a Thor that felt intimidating, layered, and grounded in character conflict rather than pure spectacle. Translating that kind of presence to Kratos is a high leverage move, especially for a protagonist whose identity depends on controlled intensity, emotional restraint, and explosive payoff when the story demands it.
This announcement also lands alongside a leadership structure that has been steadily taking shape behind the scenes. The series has Ronald D. Moore attached as showrunner, and Shogun director Frederick E.O. Toye set to direct the first episodes, giving the project a foundation that is built for prestige pacing and heavyweight character work. With the show reportedly set to begin filming in March 2026, the casting of Kratos acts as the first real anchor point for the production, and it sets expectations that additional major roles should start surfacing in the near term as the series ramps toward principal photography.
For longtime players, the natural comparison is Christopher Judge, whose modern era portrayal of Kratos became iconic for its measured delivery and the way it can fill a room with authority using almost no words. The series is clearly taking a different route, but the upside here is that Hurst is not entering the universe cold. He knows the franchise’s emotional frequency, and he has already demonstrated he can carry mythic scale dialogue without losing the human edge that makes these stories land. If the adaptation leans into the Norse setting as expected, the casting also creates an intriguing mirror, since Hurst previously embodied Thor, now stepping into the role of the man who ultimately defines that conflict.
The bigger unanswered question is creative direction. We know the show is expected to jump into the Norse era of the games, but it is still unclear whether Amazon will retell the same narrative beats from the recent titles or build an original path within the same setting and character framework. That decision will define everything from pacing to fan reception, because the Norse arc is beloved for its intimate father and son core, and any live action version will be judged on whether it preserves that emotional spine while adapting the action and mythos for television scale.
One way or another, Hurst as Kratos is a statement casting that puts credibility on the board early. Now the spotlight shifts to the next dominoes: who plays Atreus, who fills the key supporting roster, and how the show visually communicates the weight and brutality of Kratos without turning him into a hollow action figure.
Are you more interested in this series following the games closely, or do you want Amazon to tell a new story inside the Norse era with the same characters and world?
