Dave Bautista shows off body transformation as he reaches 250lbs getting in shape to play God Of War

Dave Bautista has shown off further progress as he transforms into Kratos for the upcoming God of War drama series.

It was announced in August that the former WWE wrestler was taking on the role. Sons of Anarchy star Ryan Hurst had initially been cast as the part, put had to withdraw from the show after he tore a bicep while performing a stunt on set in late June, Deadline reported.

The TV adaption of God of War, which is one Sony's most popular series since the first game was released on PlayStation 2 in 2005, is now expected to be released in 2028 on Prime Video.

At the start of September Bautista, 57, teased his transformation into Kratos and said he had just eight weeks to 'get where I need to be'.

Now he's well and truly on his way and confirmed that he's managed to gain 20lb, coming in on the scales at 250.

His weight gain comes after Bautista's noticeable shred in more recent years. Addressing his decision to slim down, the Dune actor admitted he may have gone too far when it came to bulking up in the past.

"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 back in 2024.

He put on weight by eating pancakes and french fries because he was so focused on getting 'big'.

By late 2024, he had lost around 75lbs. In the process he said he 'sacrificed a lot of muscle' at the time.

The actor said on Live with Kelly and Mark in July 2024: "I’ve sacrificed a lot of muscle. But I’m okay with it, because I just feel more comfortable."

Apparently Bautista was finding it hard to lose weight so decided to hire a trainer and take up jiu-jitsu.

"I was struggling to lose the weight, so I brought a trainer — my buddy Jason Manly — over to Budapest with me while I was filming Dune," he told Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

"We did nothing but grapple for hours, and I started shedding the weight. I figured I’d stick with it and get my brown belt."

When people expressed concerns about his weight loss, he assured people that he was a healthy weight.

The ex wrestler told Chris Van Vliet on his podcast (as per PEOPLE): "I’ve even seen online some people worried about my health. [But] I say it out loud to people, 'I’m 6’4, 240 pounds' ... I’m still just a large human being."