Dave Bautista hits 250 lbs after gaining 20 pounds of muscle for Kratos role in 'God of War'

Dave Bautista has reached 250 pounds. The actor, who deliberately shed much of his wrestling-era muscle mass in recent years to pursue more varied roles, posted a gym video to his Instagram Story with the text 'Gained 20 lbs for GOW' and a '250' sticker — his most concrete update yet on the physical rebuild required to play Kratos in Prime Video's God of War series.

The post lands roughly two months after an early September video in which Bautista said he was three weeks into weight training and still had time 'to get where he needs to be.' In the new footage he is wearing a God of War T-shirt while flexing, according to IGN. The timeline lines up almost exactly with the window he set for himself.

Bautista came to the role under unusual circumstances. He officially replaced Ryan Hurst in August after Hurst tore a bicep during a stunt and had to withdraw due to the estimated length of his recovery, according to IGN. When Bautista's casting was confirmed, some fans questioned whether he still had the physique to credibly portray the musclebound Spartan warrior — a concern rooted in how visibly he had slimmed down from his WWE days, when he maintained an average weight of around 290 pounds.

At 250 pounds, Bautista is still 40 pounds lighter than his peak wrestling weight, but the direction of travel appears to have satisfied much of that early skepticism. The transformation is ongoing.

Prime Video's God of War is based on the Norse mythology era of the PlayStation video game franchise. The series will follow Kratos and his son Atreus, played by Callum Vinson, as they journey to spread the ashes of Kratos's wife and Atreus's mother, Faye, at the highest peak of the nine realms, according to IGN. Two seasons have been ordered.

Why it matters — Bautista's documented physical transformation is the clearest signal yet that Prime Video's God of War — one of the most anticipated video game adaptations in development — is moving toward production with its lead actor in shape for the role.

Reported by variety.com, gamespot.com, ign.com