Dave Bautista Kratos transformation video: WWE star back in gym for Prime Video God of War

WWE Hall of Famer Dave Bautista is not easing into his next fight. Three weeks after Prime Video locked him in as Kratos, the 57-year-old posted a gym clip that already looks more Ghost of Sparta than retired wrestler.

The video shows Bautista mid-session, roaring at the camera in a way that will feel familiar to anyone who played the PlayStation games. His caption was short and on-brand: “Third week in to weight training again. Two more months to get to where I need to be. Like ridin’ a bike!”

That last line is the point. After years of slimming down on purpose, the six-time world champion is asking his body to remember the size that made him “The Animal” in WWE.

Why the role landed on Dave Bautista

The job opened because Ryan Hurst, first cast as Kratos, tore a biceps doing a stunt in late June. Surgery and a long rehab would have pushed the two-season shoot into 2027. Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television recast instead. Dave Bautista’s deal was confirmed in late August. Production is aiming to restart in Vancouver in mid-October, with Hurst’s completed Kratos scenes set to be reshot.

Hurst had already packed on about 40 pounds of muscle for the part. Bautista does not have that runway. He has roughly two months of hard training before cameras roll again.

From 315 pounds down and now back up

This is not the Bautista of WrestleMania 23. After ballooning to around 315 pounds for Knock at the Cabin, he cut roughly 75 pounds and settled near 240. He has said the bigger frame left him uncomfortable.

Kratos does not do comfortable. The character’s silhouette is the job. Bautista has to put size back on without wrecking the joints that already paid for a long wrestling career and a second act as Drax, Glossu Rabban, and a string of action leads. He has called the return to heavy lifting simple muscle memory. The video is the first public proof that the work has started.

What the clip actually shows

It is not a finished Kratos body. It is week three of a short bulk: shoulders, chest, and that familiar Batista snarl. Fans who wanted him in the role from the start treated the post like a first look. Wrestling viewers saw something else, a veteran who still knows how to sell size on camera.

The series, showrun by Ronald D Moore, follows the 2018 God of War and Ragnarök story: Kratos and his son Atreus (Callum Vinson) carry Faye’s ashes through Midgard. Mandy Patinkin, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Ed Skrein and Teresa Palmer round out the gods. Two seasons are ordered back-to-back. A premiere is not expected before late 2027.