Dave Bautista shows off incredible transformation getting in shape to play Kratos in God Of War series

Dave Bautista has been working out double time to get ready to play Kratos, and a newly posted video shows just how hard he's been working.

The former WWE star, known to movie audiences as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, took to Instagram to share an update on his physical preparation for the upcoming live-action God Of War series.

The post confirms he's back in serious training mode after being announced as a late replacement in the lead role, following a setback that derailed the project's original casting.

Bautista stepped in for actor Ryan Hurst, who had originally been cast to play Kratos before suffering serious injuries while filming that ultimately forced him to step away from the production entirely.

Posting to Instagram, Bautista captioned a training video: "3rd week in to weight training again. 2 more months to get to where I need to be. Like ridin a bike! LFG!"

Bautista reckons he's about a third of a way through his journey to transform into the imposing, muscle bound look of Kratos, the character made famous across Sony's God Of War video franchise game.

Given his background as a professional wrestler, packing on size for a role is nothing new to him, but the timeline he's laid out gives fans their clearest indication yet of how far along the process actually is.

It isn't the first time Bautista has undergone a dramatic body transformation for a part. He previously bulked up significantly to play Leonard in M. Night Shyamalan's Knock At The Cabin, before shedding much of that added muscle once filming wrapped.

Now, it appears he's putting the size back on, following a similar physical journey to the one Hurst was reportedly on before his injury led to the recasting.

When does God Of War start filming?

Earlier reports had suggested production on the series would resume in mid-October. However, Bautista's own comment that he still needs 'two more months' to be ready points to a restart that's more likely to land in late October or early November instead.

Once filming does get back underway, Bautista will be joined by a cast that includes Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, and Callum Vinson as Atreus, among others still to be revealed.

The series, being produced for Prime Video, adapts the story told across Sony's 2018 God Of War and its 2022 sequel, God Of War Ragnarök, chronicling the relationship between Kratos and his son, Atreus, as the pair journey through the world of Norse mythology.

The casting shake-up isn't the only setback to hit a major Prime Video adaptation this year. The streamer's live-action Tomb Raider series, starring Sophie Turner, was also forced to pause production earlier this year after Turner sustained an on-set injury of her own, leaving two of Prime Video's biggest game-to-screen projects dealing with unexpected delays simultaneously.