Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, best known for playing The Mountain in the ‘Game of Thrones‘ seris, has thrown his hat into the ring for one of gaming’s most iconic roles – Kratos.The actor took to his handle to pitch himself as the leading character in the upcoming live-action ‘God of War’ series. Taking to his handle, Björnsson shared striking images of himself on social media and directly asked fans whether they would like to see him play the legendary warrior. Posing a photo of himself from ‘GOT’ and an AI pic of himself as Kratos, he wrote, “Be honest… would you guys want to see me as Kratos?”
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson pitches himself as Kratos
Fans react to Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson’s casting as Kratos
His physique immediately sparked comparisons, with fans debating whether the Icelandic strongman could be a natural fit for the role. “Yes. This would honestly be a great casting!” read a comment, while another said, “I never thought of it before. Now that you’ve brought it up? Absolutely!”Another shared, “You’re probably one of the only people that could pull it off tbh….You have the deep voice, so you wouldnt need a voice actor, you have the perfect build for the role, you have a similar style background, so slipping into the lore shouldnt be too hard, you’re a talented actor, not just a “big guy”….I think casting you for the roll could/would be the smartest thing that Sony could do if they move forward with filming.“
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson shares pic as Thor
Björnsson fuelled the comparisons by also sharing an edited image of himself as Thor, complete with the Norse god’s hammer.
‘God of War’ casts Dave Bautista as Kratos
The actor’s post comes as the ‘God of War’ series moves forward with a new lead following a recast. Dave Bautista is currently attached to play Kratos, with the series filming in Vancouver. The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star was said to be in talks for the role after Ryan Hurst, who was previously announced as Kratos, suffered a torn bicep injury requiring surgery. As a result, this would have delayed production into 2027. All the scenes featuring Hurst will now have to be reshot.
About ‘God of War’
The ‘God of War’ show has been greenlit for two seasons which are set to shoot back-to-back. The shooting for the show began in February this year in Vancouver. With Bautista now locked in as Kratos, the show’s production is expected to resume in the coming weeks.The show will follow the story of the two most recent ‘God of War’ games, where Kratos must raise his ten-year-old son Atreus while battling gods of the Norse pantheon.Other cast members are Max Parker as Heimdall, Olafur Darri Olafsson as Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Danny Woodburn and Jeff Gulka as brothers Brok and Sindri, and Ed Skrein as Baldur.