Christopher Judge, the iconic voice actor for Kratos in the recent God of War games, has revealed that he had begun preparations to portray the character in Prime Video's upcoming live-action series. However, he ultimately withdrew his interest, citing the significant physical and time commitments required for such a demanding role at his age.
Speaking at Fan Expo Canada, Judge explained that he had been in early discussions for the part and even started working out to achieve the necessary physique and began memorizing lines. "We had talked, and I thought, 'God, what a great legacy to leave for my grandson.' So I started working out. I got bigger,” he recalled. Despite his initial enthusiasm, Judge found the process challenging, particularly the difficulty in memorizing lines, which he attributed to his mind and body signaling a reluctance for the commitment. "Then, just the reality of it... because I did read! I did read for it. It was so hard for me to memorize my lines, which I never had a problem with. And that was my mind and body starting to tell me, 'You don't want to do this.' I was one of the leads of Stargate at 33 to 44, and then stopped. Now, at 62, to be the lead, I just have no desire to live that way again."
Judge elaborated on the physical toll such a role would entail, stating he did not want to commit to working 16-to-18-hour days or adhere to constant dieting and workout regimens at 62 years old.
While he opted out, Judge expressed approval for the casting of Dave Bautista in the role. However, he voiced concerns about Bautista, who has recently lost a significant amount of weight, potentially facing health issues by needing to regain mass for the part. Judge also shared his initial positive reaction to Ryan Hurst being cast, believing his history with the games and gamer status made him an ideal choice. "With Ryan, I thought that was absolutely the right choice. He's played all the games. He's a gamer and new father; like, who better?" he said. Judge's sentiments shifted when Hurst suffered a bicep injury, leading Amazon to recast the role to Bautista. "Then when he got hurt, it was like, are they going to take time to read with and call people back? So when I heard the name of Bautista, I thought, 'Didn't he just lose like 100 pounds?' So I hope he's going to be great. I think he's going to be great. I just hope it doesn't cause any health issues to put back on all that weight,” he added.
The Prime Video series experienced a significant change in casting when Ryan Hurst tore his bicep during a stunt, prompting the studio to recast the role with Dave Bautista. Earlier this year, initial reactions to the show's appearance were met with fan skepticism, though subsequent images, including one of Hurst in Kratos makeup that was well-received, have garnered more positive responses.