Dave Bautista Officially Finds His Next Action Franchise To Compete With Guardians Of The Galaxy

Published Sep 13, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Like many actors who began as wrestlers, Dave Bautista has excelled in the action genre, and while he is still underrated as an actor, his unexpected casting in a much-anticipated TV show looks set to compete with his most famous franchise. While Dave Bautista's best action movies make use of his physical size and strength, his comic timing and skill as a character actor also get a chance to shine. This combination has led to Bautista playing some standout roles that further highlight his ability to act while sometimes doing stunts, as opposed to performing stunts while occasionally acting. After his casting as Drax the Destroyer in the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise brought him to mainstream audiences, Bautista's upcoming Prime Video fantasy will be a full-circle moment. Prime Video's God of War adaptation originally had Ryan Hurst playing the main role as the god Kratos, but the role was recast due to injury. For years, Bautista has been the ultimate fan-cast for Kratos, and it was confirmed in August that he will play the character. This might have been a risky decision before Guardians of the Galaxy, but Drax proved that Bautista is the right choice. Dave Bautista's Kratos Role Can Be As Important As Drax Any TV adaptation of a beloved franchise can be fraught, with any departure from the source material being scrutinized, and the performances of the actors involved can make or break the adaptation. One of the reasons for Guardians of the Galaxy's success is the excellent casting, which turned even the wildest characters into fan favorites, with all the people involved "committing to the bit." The literal-minded Drax could easily have been comic relief with biceps, but Bautista brought vulnerability to the role, making Drax one of the best characters in Guardians of the Galaxy. It is hard to imagine Guardians of the Galaxy without Drax, and impossible for God of War to exist without Kratos, giving Bautista one of the biggest challenges of his career. Bautista must not only take on an iconic role, but step into another actor's shoes while doing so. Kratos' journey is the story, and Bautista's performance will carry the TV show, requiring him to be emotionally restrained as well as explosive, with the relationship with his son at the center of the series. Bautista has proven that he is capable of portraying complex characters before, with Roger Ebert describing his role in Knock at the Cabin as "standout," and playing Kratos will take him to the next level. Drax, despite his depth, was important for Bautista to be seen as a potential comic actor, but Kratos can prove his ability to carry an entire series. Most of Bautista's roles have shown nuance, but Kratos is the most complex of all of them, with his epic journey giving Bautista the opportunity to highlight his physical presence, vulnerability, and occasional comedy all within one character. Dave Bautista Is Great, But We Wish We'd Have Got To See Ryan Hurst's Take On Kratos Of all the top contenders for Prime Video's God of War, Dave Bautista was always ranked highly, and seeing him play Kratos will undoubtedly please many fans of the games. That said, this does not mean that Ryan Hurst would not have been excellent in the role despite being an underdog candidate. Reportedly just half an inch shorter than Bautista, Hurst has the right build for the character and photographs even taller, towering over his co-stars as Opie in Sons of Anarchy and the monstrous Beta in The Walking Dead. Ryan Hurst already has a connection to the God of War franchise, having voiced Thor in the game. While Beta was more of a one-note character, Opie had a similar emotionally conflicted storyline to those in God of War, and there is no doubt that Hurst could have made the role of Kratos his own. The fact that he played the character for four episodes before his bicep injury is even more tragic, and the "what if" factor is significant, as we saw him becoming Kratos on camera. Hurst's interpretation would have been fascinating, especially with his connection to the games, but Bautista is by no means a bad choice and, for some, the only possible replacement. Source: Roger Ebert Adapted from the PlayStation video game franchise, God of War is an action-adventure drama series in development under Amazon. The series will center on series protagonist Kratos, but no other information on the series has been divulged.