Dave Bautista may not be heading back into the ring anytime soon, but he's still got that fighting spirit.
The actor and former WWE star, who took over the role of Kratos in Prime Video's upcoming "God of War" series, showed off his physical transformation in an Instagram video Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Bautista was tapped to portray the brawny Spartan warrior from the iconic 2000s video game after original star Ryan Hurst was recast due to an on-set injury.
The "Guardians of the Galaxy" star showed off the results of his intense fitness prep in the video. Bautista began the clip by standing in front of the camera, dressed in a green T-shirt and matching fitted cap. The actor then removes his shirt and flexes his chest and biceps. In true action-hero
fashion, Bautista roars into the camera for added toughness.
"[Third] week into weight training again," Bautista, 57, captioned the post. "[Two] more months to get to where I need to be. Like ridin' a bike!"
"God of War" follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they journey to spread the ashes of Kratos' wife, Faye, according to the show's official synopsis. The fantasy action series, which currently does not have a release date, will also star Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Max Parker, Mandy Patinkin, Alastair Duncan, Danny Woodburn, Jeff Gulka and Ed Skrein.
Bautista became a wrestling titan of the aughties after signing with WWE in 2000, competing under the stage name Batista and later earning the nickname "The Animal" for his aggressive persona. He won the WWE Championship twice, as well as the World Heavyweight Championship four times before retiring in 2019.
The actor opened up about the origins of his steely exterior in a 2023 interview with USA TODAY.
"I grew up in a horrible environment, and I was constantly forced to be a person that I didn't want to be," said Bautista, who grew up poor and worked as a nightclub bouncer before getting into bodybuilding and wrestling. "I always considered myself a very gentle, very kind person. But I was fighting most of my life and well into my 30s."
Of his WWE departure, he said: "I didn't like myself. I wasn't happy. I was actually miserable. When I left professional wrestling [full-time] in 2010, I could breathe again. I had the weight of the world off my shoulders."
Dave Bautista 'God of War' transformation pumps up fans
Bautista's physical transformation for "God of War" drummed up excitement among his fans, with several users taking to the comments section to praise the actor's fitness and share their nostalgia for his wrestling days.
"God of War mode begins," @the.spidey.kratos_ wrote on Instagram.
"My GOAT's still got it! THE ANIMAL," @derbmcdillet commented.
"Gosh.. brings back soo many cool memories," @deamefit_03 wrote. "Go steady Big Dave."
"That's the Bautista I know," @boolinn_g commented.
"Kratos is here," @dravenreacts wrote.
Contributing: Charlie Carballo and Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dave Bautista unveils 'God of War' transformation after series recast
