- Christopher Judge has revealed why he didn't play Kratos in the upcoming live-action God of War TV series.
- The voice actor said the idea of getting into prime shape at 62 to play Kratos didn't appeal to him.
- Judge also revealed that he originally read for Kratos in the live-action TV show, but ultimately passed on it.
Christopher Judge’s portrayal of Kratos in God of War (2018) and Ragnarok is nothing short of generational, and his appearance in the upcoming God of War Laufey will undoubtedly be another highlight. Naturally, most players wanted him to join Amazon Prime Video’s live-action God of War TV series cast as the Greek god. However, Judge has opened up about his decision to step away from Kratos’ live-action counterpart and strictly stick to video games.
Christopher Judge Turned Down God of War TV Series Over Physical Demands at 62
Speaking to Collider at a panel at Fan Expo Canada 2026, Judge said the idea of getting in shape to play Kratos in his 60s didn’t appeal to him when asked to star in the God of War TV series. “I didn’t want to do it,” said the American actor.
I didn’t want to, at 62 years old, work 16-to-18-hour days. I didn’t want to be dieting constantly; I didn’t want to be working out constantly.
Judge revealed that he originally did read for the part of Kratos in the God of War live-action TV series, and even had a heart-to-heart with his grandson about joining the show. However, despite it all, his body and his mind ultimately refused.
“We had talked, and I thought, ‘God, what a great legacy to leave for my grandson.’ So I started working out. I got bigger. Then, just the reality of it… because I did read! I did read for it”, said Judge. “It was so hard for me to memorize my lines, which I never had a problem with. And that was my mind and body starting to tell me, ‘You don’t want to do this.'”
As the panel went on, Judge got candid about his performance as Teal’c in Stargate SG-1, and concluded that “I was one of the leads of Stargate at 33 to 44 and then stopped. Now, at 62, to be the lead, I just have no desire to live that way again.”
However, Judge did give his blessing to Dave Bautista, who is now set to play Kratos in the live-action God of War series. This is a bummer, as we would’ve loved to see Judge play Kratos’ live-action counterpart and yell “Boy!” once again.
Fortunately, Santa Monica head Cory Barlog confirmed at SDCC 2026 that more Kratos-led God of War games are in the works. So, rest assured, we’ll likely see Judge with the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos, sporting the white ash with the red tattoo sooner rather than later in a game.
