The Actors Who Could Play Kratos

With God of War: Ascension marking what is thought to be the end of the series on PS3, and talk of the supposed movie all but drying up, we thought we'd throw our suggestions for actors into the ring. If this lot doesn't get the movie execs excited about the project we don't know what will.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Has this man ever not delivered? Daniel really becomes the character he's playing, so while a lot of CGI would be needed to make him look like the muscular leading man, there's no doubt he'd give a tremendous performance and generate some Oscar buzz about the movie.

Ryan Gosling

Let's face it, Ryan isn't exactly an obvious choice to play Kratos, but if you've seen Drive you'll likely think he's cool enough to pull off any part. He'd have to become a bit more hench to really fill Kratos' massive physique, but he could do it.

Javier Bardem

We've already seen that Mr Bardem can play a variety of characters, good and bad, so he'd be able to become Kratos. He also looks like the kind of guy who could bulk out if needed.

Channing Tatum

The man with the odd name is hot stuff in Hollywood at the moment - so hot in fact that new sequences involving him had to be shot for the upcoming G.I Joe sequel. He's a big guy, too, so wouldn't have a problem looking the part.

Bruce Willis

As far as action movie stars go, they get no bigger than Mr Willis. He's got the hard man image going for him, the bald head, and would bring mega star appeal to the God of War movie. Oh, and he'd make his enemies die. Hard.

Cartman

OK, so Cartman is a cartoon character, a child and far too fat to play the great Kratos, but he looks the part in his Spartan get-up. He could sing "Come Sail Away" while riding down the River Styx and would almost certainly kill Kenny.

Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because Chuck Norris only recognizes the element of surprise. Chuck Norris can divide by zero. Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch. HE decides what time it is. Under Chuck Norris' beard there is no chin, just another fist.

Dominic Purcell

Dominic "Lincoln Burrows" Purcell knows how to play a troubled man. He spent the best part of four years either breaking out of or into a prison, and at one point was seconds away from execution. Slaying a few beasts shouldn't be a problem for him, and we think he looks the part too.

Kane

Dare you look into those eyes? If looks could kill (well, they can if you're the snake-haired Medusa) Kane would leave a trail of death in his wake. We've met the man behind the mask (yes we know the wrestler doesn't wear one any more) and he's actually a nice guy. He's got the hard man act down to a tee though.

Ross Kemp

Ross Kemp has proven that he's not all talk. He's put himself in dangerous situations in his Afghanistan series and we reckon he'd be more than willing to don the make-up to play the role of Kratos. One condition would be that his fictional brother Phil Mitchell makes an appearance too.

Gerard Butler

Quite why Gerard Butler seems to be cast a lot these days in romantic comedies is beyond us. He's bloody Leonidas from 300, for pity's sake. He should be breaking skulls not breaking hearts. In truth, he doesn't look like a perfect fit for the part, but he's done the whole Spartan thing before with great aplomb.

Linda Henry (Shirley from Eastenders)

Are we alone in finding Shirley from Eastenders more than a little scary? We're sure Linda Henry is a nice person, but seeing her in battle would send shivers down our spine. It'd also be a bit of a surprise casting that would give the film extra publicity. The mythological beasts wouldn't stand a chance.

Jason Statham

Statham is an everyman action hero. There's just something a bit "bloke from down the pub" about him that us regular folk like. He's well trained in mixed martial arts too, so would be more than capable of swinging Kratos' Blades of Chaos around. After scaling Mount Olympus he'd probably get a round in, too.

Vin Diesel

Poor Vin needs a good movie. At one point he seemed destined for action movie greatness, but a string of poor films has seen him slide down the pecking order. And a rise in a new breed of action movie (thanks mainly to Jason Bourne and Daniel Craig's James Bond) has meant big beefy men don't get the chance to shine as they once did. Still, Vin would be great as Kratos.