Dave Bautista has revealed that he has gained 20 pounds of muscle while preparing to play Kratos in Prime Video's God of War series. Bautista officially took over the role in August after Ryan Hurst had to withdraw from production due to an injury.
In September, Bautista shared a video on Instagram showcasing his physique, stating he had been weight training for three weeks with two months remaining to reach his target. Now, with those two months complete, Bautista shared a new video to his Instagram story with the text "Gained 20 lbs for GOW" and a "250" sticker, indicating his current weight. He was also seen wearing a God of War t-shirt in the post.
Bautista, who maintained a weight of around 290 pounds during his WWE career, had previously lost muscle mass to pursue more diverse acting roles. This led some God of War fans to question his suitability for the role of the physically imposing Kratos. However, this recent update appears to address those concerns.
The Prime Video series is based on the Norse mythology era of the PlayStation video game franchise. It will follow Kratos and his son Atreus on a journey to scatter the ashes of Kratos's deceased wife and Atreus's mother, Faye, from the highest peak in the nine realms. The show has been ordered for two seasons.