{
  "id": 4934994,
  "title": "Christopher Judge Physically Prepared to Play Kratos in Live Action God of War Series But Backed Down For This Reason",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/christopher-judge-physically-prepared-to-play-kratos-in-live-action",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T19:51:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/christopher-judge-physically-prepared-to-play-kratos-in-live-action-god-of-war-series-but-backed-down-for-this-reason"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Christopher Judge, who once starred in the hit television series Stargate, revealed that he was close to landing the role of Kratos in Prime Video’s live-action God of War series. Judge stated that he started working out and memorizing lines for the role, expressing his desire to leave a great legacy for his grandson. However, Judge ultimately decided against taking on the part due to the physical demands it would have placed on him at his age. Judge lamented the toll such a role would have taken on him, describing the grueling 16-to-18-hour days, constant dieting, and intense workout routines. Despite his earlier praise for Dave Bautista’s casting, Judge expressed concerns about Bautista having to put on a significant amount of weight again after recently losing a substantial amount. Judge also shared his initial excitement for Ryan Hurst’s casting, as he believed Hurst was the perfect choice due to his love for the God of War games and his status as a new father. However, Bautista’s casting seemed like a more viable option given the situation.",
  "summary": "Christopher Judge revealed that he actually started physically preparing to play Kratos in Prime Video’s live-action God of War series before he made himself back down.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}