Fans of the God of War series and your friends here at Twinfinite were incredibly excited to hear that Amazon Prime has finally green lit its live action adaption. Who knows how long it will take for the series to develop, let alone be casted. However, if the creatives behind the show want to shortcut the process, we’ve got them covered. Here are some of the best actors that would make a great Kratos.
Jason Mamoa as Kratos
Jason Mamoa is certainly familiar with playing huge, menacing, God-like characters, having played Aquaman in last year’s Justice League, Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, and Conan in Conan the Barbarian. Those characters are all powerful men that aren’t afraid of a fight and have a tendency to shout angrily at anyone and anything that’ll listen. Kratos would certainly approve.
Mamoa has also said he’d be up for playing Kratos in a live action version, should the chance arise. When he was asked if he’d be interested in working on a movie version, his reply was simply, “Hell yes.” The fan interview recently attracted attention, but it’s actually from way back in 2012, long before Kratos got in touch with his emotional side in this most recent outing.
Dominic Purcell as Kratos
If you’ve watched The Flash or Prison Break, you’ll surely know who Dominic Purcell is. He played Lincoln Burrows throughout the whole run of Prison Break and plays Mick Rory/Heat Wave regularly in a few of DC’s superhero TV shows. He might not be quite as muscular as some of the other actors on this list, but that’s nothing a strict weights routine couldn’t fix, right?
The character’s he’s played over the years mean that he’s certainly familiar with playing surly, serious, and menacing characters that are up for a fight. Now that Prison Break has ended, maybe God of War could be the next big TV project he stars in.
Nathan Jones as Kratos
Wrestlers often have the perfect body shape to play a character like Kratos, and Nathan Jones is no different. He was born in Queensland, Australia, building a career as a professional wrestler before joining the WWE in 2002. In the two years that he was part of the roster, his character went by a few different names, but they mostly had the same persona. After initially being a ‘Hannibal Lecter’ type character, he became The Undertaker’s protege, helping him take on The Big Show. However, he retired in 2003 and began forming an acting career, appearing in Troy, The Condemned, and Mad Max: Fury Road.
He may not have the acting experience to take on a lead role as a character who is now quite emotionally complex, but, physically, he fits the mold perfectly. He’s 6′ 10″, powerful, imposing, and isn’t a stranger to playing characters who love a fight.
Travis Fimmel as Kratos
Having been one of the lead characters, Ragnar Lothbrok, in the hit show Vikings, Travis Fimmel is no stranger to Norse mythology and a bit of ax-wielding. Nor is he a stranger to video game movie adaptations, having played Anduin Lothar in the Warcraft movie.
His work on Vikings suggests that he’d fit the role of Kratos almost perfectly. He may not always be as large and physically menacing as Kratos, but Fimmel certainly has the whole threatening stare thing going on. And that beard isn’t too shabby either! A combination of plenty of calories, a weights routine, and some clever camera tricks could surely make up for his physical shortcomings. Importantly, Fimmel’s other roles prove that he’s excellent at playing gruff and threatening characters.
Bill Goldberg as Kratos
2018’s God of War game saw Kratos mature, and not just emotionally. He’s older and a father, yet hasn’t lost the power he’s always had. At 51 years old, Goldberg looks almost exactly like older Kratos. He may be on the older side, but he hasn’t lost his power and physical presence.
Like other actors on this list, he’s famous for his wrestling career. He joined the World Championship Wrestling roster after a serious injury ended his LA Rams football career. He was part of WCW for six years before spending a year in Japan and then joining the WWE. In his two years there he defeated The Rock, started a rivalry with Triple H, and began a long-running feud with Brock Lesnar. Now a WWE Hall of Famer, he’s taking his career elsewhere. While not the most experienced screen actor, having appeared in Adam Sandler’s The Longest Yard and a few smaller TV shows, but he’d be the perfect choice to go down the route of Kratos’ recent stories.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Kratos
Now for the obvious choice. The Rock is a star all around the world, being involved in some of the highest grossing movies of all time. Whether it be someone with the most descriptive name in history, Roadblock, in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, or Hobbs in the Fast and Furious films, he isn’t shy of throwing his fists about. He’s huge physically, is used to playing serious muscle men, and is sure to bring in audiences in addition to fans of the games. The only worry is that he’s too much of a recognisable face, and too famously nice, to play the God of War. Yes, he’s the perfect choice physically, but his joyful Instagram videos don’t exactly paint the picture of a man who’s likely shout “Boy!” at every possible opportunity. Of course, he’d probably be more than capable of it, but wouldn’t it be a bit strange to see him in God of War after the likes of Moana?
Be sure to peep the following for more God of War goodness and check our our review of Ragnarok.
