God of War Torch Passed: Christopher Judge Gives Ryan Hurst His Legendary Seal of Approval

If you thought The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy had enough testosterone, buckle up—Ryan Hurst is trading in his biker boots and zombie survival gear to play Kratos, the grumpy god-slayer, in Amazon's upcoming God of War series. And if you’re wondering what the guy who’s been the voice (and muscles) of Kratos in the games thinks, don’t worry: he’s already chimed in.

Kratos Approves (Literally)

Christopher Judge, who gave us the most meme-worthy 'BOY' delivery in PlayStation history, is all in for Hurst as his live-action successor. After the casting news dropped, Judge jumped on Twitter with a very on-brand blessing:

'Congrats Ryan!!!! You're gonna be great... BOI !!!'

Extra inside joke points here, since Judge voiced Kratos and Hurst actually played Thor in God of War Ragnarok. Yes, those two squared off in the game, and now Hurst is stepping right into Kratos' (very bloody) sandals.

What We Actually Know About the Amazon Show

• Prime Video has committed to two seasons already. No small investment, and it's focusing entirely on Kratos' time in Norse mythology. So don't expect toga parties or Minotaur bashing—this is post-Greek mythology Kratos, the poker-faced dad with tons of emotional baggage.
• Ronald D. Moore is steering the ship. The guy who made Outlander and Battlestar Galactica (not the old, cheesy one—the good one) is running things. Honestly, he’s a better storyteller than he is a gamer, and he'd be the first to admit it. On Katee Sackhoff’s podcast, he owned up to his lack of controller skills: 'The controllers now... Press R1, which one's R1? Oh, I'm dead! I can't quite get a hold of that.'
• The series will zero in on Kratos and Atreus' 'complicated father-son road trip' vibe from the games, instead of just endless monster mashing. Moore recently told IGN that what hooked him was the 'story of Kratos and his son'—all that emotional stuff, plus the monsters, gods, and axe-throwing chaos you'd expect.
• Still no release date. So, patience... you’re going to need the patience of a Norse god to see this thing hit your screen.

Why This Is Kind of Wild

If you play games, you know just how passionate (read: opinionated, online) the God of War fanbase is. Bringing Kratos to live-action is a weirdly huge deal. Add in the fact that the two Kratos actors literally fought each other (as Kratos and Thor) in the game, and the meta-ness is kind of perfect.

So yeah, Ryan Hurst is officially the next man to shout 'BOY!'—and with Moore at the helm, maybe this show won’t be another cash-grabby game adaptation. Fingers crossed.