Ryan Hurst and Kratos, and screenshot of an Instagram Story
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Ryan Hurst’s cryptic post circulates after Dave Bautista tipped as God of War’s new Kratos

The TV show is currently recasting after Hurst suffered an injury on set

Daisy Phillipson
4th August 2026, 11:52
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Following the news that Dave Bautista is in talks to take over as Kratos in the upcoming God of War TV show, social media posts have emerged claiming Ryan Hurst posted then deleted a cryptic response. 

The Sons of Anarchy star bagged the lead role at the start of the year, and it was the perfect casting for fans of the video game series, not least because he voiced Thor in the 2022 game, God of War: Ragnarok.

But in June, Hurst tore his bicep while shooting a stunt, leaving him hospitalised. Due to the length of recovery required and the physicality of the role, he reportedly wouldn’t be ready to start filming again until 2027. 

Dave Bautista in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Credit: Netflix

Studios Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios decided to recast Kratos instead, with plans to start production up again by autumn. This week, sources told Variety that former WWE star turned actor Dave Bautista is in discussions to take over. 

While Bautista almost seems custom-made for the role, no doubt this will be a tough situation for the former Kratos, who had already completed four episodes before the incident. 

Since the latest news, there are multiple claims Hurst posted a response on Instagram. As per Noticias PlayStation, “Actor Ryan Hurst, who was set to portray Kratos in the God of War series before suffering an injury, posted the following message: ‘Never trust stories that fit together too well.’

“He did so shortly after the Deadline report was published.”

WesNemo posted a similar message, sharing a screenshot of the Instagram Story and writing, “Something tells me Ryan Hurst walked away from God of War and the torn bicep might have been a blessing in disguise for him.”

Others have speculated what he’s alluding to, with one writing on Reddit, “Hurst posted something pretty ominous on his instagram ‘Never trust stories that fit together too neatly.’ Me thinks they always wanted to fire him.”

Another replied, “Methinks the studio saw the backlash to the photos of him as Kratos… Tbf, they looked really, really bad.”

We couldn’t independently verify that the Instagram Story was posted other than the screenshots being shared online, and it hasn’t been verified this was a direct response to the news. Film Shrine has contacted Hurst’s representatives for comment. 

This wouldn’t be the first time he’s used social media to get his point across. Back in February, he posted a similar Instagram Story responding to the backlash to the first look image of the God of War series, showing Hurst’s Kratos with Callum Vinson’s Atreus.

While many accused it of being AI generated or fake, the actor wrote, “Don’t believe everything you see on the internet, kids.”

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Featured image credit: Prime Video/Instagram/@rambodonkeykong