Dave Bautista Packs On 20 Pounds & Looks A Lot More Like Kratos

Ever since Deadline reported he was circling the role of Kratos in Prime Video’s upcoming God of War series, Dave Bautista has been sharing his physical progress transforming himself for the part. (In Greek mythology, which the God of War video game is partially inspired by, Kratos is a god and the divine personification of strength.)

Bautista turned heads in recent years as he slimmed down considerably from his accustomed weight. The change came after he jumped to over 300 pounds while prepping for M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock on the Cabin in 2023.

“I started slimming down because I…was uncomfortably big. Now looking back at it, I probably overdid it,” he said on the podcast Insight with Chris Van Vliet in 2024. He said he packed on pounds by eating pancakes and French Fries. “At the time, I was just thinking, ‘I gotta get big, I gotta get big.'”

For reference, the WWE lists former wrestler Bautista’s ring weight at 290 pounds, and he fought mixed martial arts at 265.

Bautista told Van Vliet in 2024 that he lost 75 pounds through diet and jiu-jitsu training.

“I’ve sacrificed a lot of muscle. But I’m okay with it, because I just feel more comfortable.”

The change was apparent to those who saw him at events like the special screening of Lionsgate’s The Killer’s Game in the summer of 2024.

Now that the Guardians of the Galaxy star is taking over on God of War role after Ryan Hurst was seriously injured during filming, he’s bulking back up.

In early September, Bautista shared a shirtless update on Instagram.

“3rd week in to weight training again. 2 more months to get to where I need to be. Like ridin a bike! LFG!” he wrote.

Today, the actor gave a new progress report, revealing that he has put on 20 pounds and is now back at 250 pounds. Also impressive, the Road House 2 star has grown out his beard to better resemble Kratos’ considerable facial hair.

Hurst, who had originally been cast to play Kratos in the PlayStation video game adaptation, tore a bicep while performing a stunt. The incident happened in June, four months into shooting the series. Deadline reported that filming would likely begin in mid-October in Vancouver, starting from scratch, as no footage from the original shoot was going to be used.

God of War follows father and son Kratos (Bautista) and Atreus (Callum Vinson) as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.

The cast also includes Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri, Danny Woodburn as Brok, Sonya Walger as Freya, Island Austin as Thrud, Ben Chapple as Magni, Louis Cunningham as Modi, and Evelyn Miller as Gna.