Dave Bautista says he has added 20 pounds of muscle and now weighs 250 as he prepares to play Kratos in Prime Video’s live-action “God of War” series. The 57-year-old actor shared the update Sunday on his Instagram story, wearing a “God of War” T-shirt over the caption “Gained 20 lbs for GOW” and a sticker reading “250.”
The post follows a September check-in in which Bautista said he was three weeks into a return to weight training and had two months left “to get to where I need to be.” The new figure lands almost exactly on that deadline. He appears to have started the stretch near 230 pounds.
Bautista signed on Aug. 20 to replace Ryan Hurst, the original Kratos, who tore a bicep during a stunt about four months into production. Filming began in Vancouver in February, and Prime Video plans to reshoot every scene Hurst completed with Bautista in the role. The actor’s comments suggest cameras will roll again in November, though one report placed the restart in October. The studio has not said when production resumes.
The physical demands are a central question for the project. Kratos, the Spartan warrior at the center of the PlayStation franchise, has long been defined by his imposing build, and a vocal group of fans questioned whether Bautista could fill that silhouette after his casting. Bautista wrestled as Batista at roughly 290 pounds, then deliberately dropped about 75 pounds over three years, reaching around 240 in 2024. The latest number marks the heaviest he has publicly cited since that weight loss.
Prime Video has not confirmed a target weight. One outlet speculated, without sourcing, that a gain similar to Hurst’s from a 240-pound baseline could put Bautista near 275 to 280. Treat that figure as a guess.
Bautista’s supporters point to a record of dramatic physical change and a long familiarity with the character’s world. Skeptics counter that muscle alone will not settle the casting, since the role also asks him to carry a series built on a stoic, grieving father. Prime Video has not announced a premiere date.
