A God of War movie has been rumored for a while now. That speculation has naturally included some of the actors who could take on a role like Kratos. As any fans hoping to see their favorite video game stories brought to life on the big screen know, however, even actors and directors becoming attached to a project is no guarantee that it will ever see the light of day – look no further than Gore Verbinski's canceled adaptation of BioShock. With Sony clearly interested in adapting some of its biggest video game IPs, however, hope remains.
Kratos is God of War's most iconic character by a longshot, and getting the casting right in any movie adaptation will be key if it's going to succeed. Finding the right Kratos will also depend on the stage of the character's life the movie wants to explore, with 2018's God of War showing fans a far older version of the character struggling with his past. Here are just some of the actors that could be the perfect casting for Kratos in a God of War movie.
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There are few actors who could handle an older Kratos better than Hugh Jackman. If there's any actor who has demonstrated the ability to portray the journey of a hot-headed action hero into a more mature, even tragic figure, it's Hugh Jackman and his portrayal of Wolverine from the original X-Men movies through to Logan. Any fan wondering what a bald, grizzled Hugh Jackman might look like as Kratos need only watch the first five minutes of 2012's Les Mis. Whether he'll go back to action movies is another question, but when it comes to A-List talent that can capture the inner life of an otherwise action-oriented character, Hugh Jackman is one of the top choices out there.
Another contender for the role of an older Kratos, Gerard Butler has been a fan-favorite choice and the subject of several rumors over the years. It's hard to deny his experience. He became a household name playing King Leonidas in 300, so becoming the Ghost of Sparta seems like a natural fit. Although he's starred mostly in action movies, Gerard Butler's experience ranges from musicals to romcoms, and that range could help make Kratos more than a meathead and bring him to life as the complicated character he is in the games.
Jason Momoa would be a great pick for either the younger or older versions of Kratos. Breaking through as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, he's shown just how intimidating he can be. In other roles like Aquaman, his ability to play up the comedic side of his tough-guy characters also comes through. Whether or not he could capture Kratos' more laconic sense of humor remains to be seen, but there's plenty of evidence out there that Jason Momoa could pull it off.
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Kratos' story begins with the deaths of several family members. First, Kratos' brother is killed, with the Greek gods believing that the boy's birthmarks made him the "marked warrior" who would one day bring their rule to an end. Second, Ares tricks Kratos into killing his own wife and child. From then on, the original trilogy becomes the story of Kratos' revenge against the Hellenic pantheon, and few actors portray a man bent on revenge better than Jon Bernthal.
Jon Bernthal's role as Marvel's The Punisher sees him dive headfirst into the role of a tortured man stuck in a cycle of revenge. Across the first three God of War games and the 2018 soft reboot, Kratos' story sees him constantly trying to escape a similar cycle, and often failing in part because he hopes to end the cycle simply by taking more revenge. The Punisher gives a glimpse into how strong Bernthal's performance as the Kratos of the original trilogy could be, or as the older version, haunted by the violence of his past.
Dave Bautista's role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy shows how entertaining he can make a man bent on revenge for the death of his family. It's his smaller role as Sapper Morton at the start of Blade Runner 2049 that shows how good he could be as Kratos, however. The promotional short 2048: Nowhere to Run put Bautista's Blade Runner character in the spotlight, showing just how well he can handle more serious, tormented characters. His upcoming role as the sadistic Beast in Dune will be a great test of how well he can handle Kratos' darker side.
It would be great to see Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson take on a more serious role that still requires the action and charisma he's known for. He's known for his personal charm, which could make casting him as a deadpan character like Kratos all the more interesting. The main challenge would be getting viewers to see him as the Ghost of Sparta rather than the Rock, but if the movie's script matched the story of the 2018 game, he just might be able to disappear into the role.
Djimon Hounsou has already shown how well he can play a character from classical antiquity. His breakout role was Juba in Gladiator, and over twenty years later he could be a great choice for an older Kratos. From Shazam! to Blood Diamond, he's a proven versatile performer, and his two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor show he could do the character justice on the silver screen.
Whether he will get the chance, however, remains another question entirely. Although God of War movie rumors have circulated for years and other Sony properties like Uncharted have movie adaptations on the way, the future of a God of War movie is still up in the air. With Tom Holland already raises concerns about the Uncharted adaptation, fans of God of War may be waiting some time to see Kratos on the big screen. With the right talent on board, however, a movie version of God of War might just get off the ground.
A sequel to God of War is in development.
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