Dave Bautista has gained 20 pounds of muscle for his role as Kratos in Prime Video’s live-action God of War series. In a video shared to his Instagram Story, the actor said he now weighs 250 pounds as he prepares to portray the Spartan warrior.
Bautista has been documenting his training on social media after slimming down for other projects. In a September Instagram post, he said he had returned to weight training and had two months to reach his target physique.
The former WWE star was announced for the lead role in August, replacing Ryan Hurst, who tore a bicep while performing a stunt on set. Bautista joins a cast that includes Callum Vinson, Mandy Patinkin, Ed Skrein, Max Parker, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Teresa Palmer, Alastair Duncan, Jeff Gulka and Danny Woodburn.
The series follows Kratos and his son, Atreus, on a journey to spread the ashes of Faye, their wife and mother. Its story is expected to draw mainly on the two most recent games in the franchise, which introduced Atreus. Ronald D. Moore serves as showrunner, and the series was scheduled to return to production in Vancouver this fall.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter.