Olivier Richters has put a very specific piece of casting business into the world: after auditioning for Kratos in Prime Video’s live-action God of War series, he would like the opportunity to play Týr instead.
Richters, who is appearing as Zangief in the new Street Fighter movie, said he advanced far into the Kratos casting process, including two callbacks, before Dave Bautista was chosen for the role. He spoke respectfully of Bautista’s selection, while acknowledging that the experience naturally left him imagining a different place in the adaptation.
“If I’m really honest, I think there’s one character who suits me better, and that’s Tyr,” Richters said. “I would love to play him.”
That is a request rather than confirmation of a casting decision. Richters said he does not know whether Týr will appear in the first or second season, and there is no indication that he has been cast. His agent has conveyed his interest to the production, but a wish to audition and a role in a finished series are two very different stages of the process.
A Kratos audition that reached the callback stage
Richters said he had initially pursued Kratos after Ryan Hurst, who had previously been cast in the part, had to exit the project following a serious bicep injury sustained while filming a stunt for the show. Richters described making it “high up the chain” and receiving two callbacks before Bautista ultimately landed the role.
In casting, a callback is an additional audition after an earlier read has narrowed the field. It is meaningful evidence that a performer is still under consideration, but it is not a guarantee of employment. Productions can use callbacks to assess chemistry, explore a new interpretation of a character, review physical requirements, or compare finalists. Richters’ account suggests he was seriously considered, while the final decision still went another direction.
His stated reasoning for the Týr idea is straightforward: physical scale. Richters is listed at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 metres) and weighs more than 350 pounds. He has said that such height could make him too large for Kratos because he would tower over the rest of the cast. Rather than treating that as a complaint about the outcome, Richters has framed it as a practical argument for another role.
He made the same case publicly in February while wearing Kratos cosplay on Instagram. Richters wrote that Týr, rather than Kratos, was his “real dream” part and the role he considered a perfect fit. The new comments make clear that the preference remains active after the Kratos decision.
Related coverage includes Olivier Richters Wants to Play Tyr in Prime Video's God of War Series.
Why the distinction matters for a game adaptation
Live-action adaptations of games have to translate more than costume silhouettes. Casting involves performance, movement, stunt demands, the visual balance of an ensemble and how a character reads alongside other actors. A striking physical resemblance can be valuable, but it is only one variable.
Richters’ own comments point to that balance. His build can be an immediate advantage for roles associated with exceptional size and strength, as seen with Zangief. At the same time, he recognizes that the same attribute can change the composition of scenes if a character is expected to stand beside an ensemble at a more typical height. His pitch for Týr is consequently not simply “I am big enough for this”; it is an argument that another character may better accommodate and benefit from his proportions.
There is still a considerable amount viewers do not know. Richters cannot say whether Týr appears in season one or season two. There is also no publicly established timeline in the supplied information for the series’ release, no casting announcement for Týr, and no suggestion that an audition has been scheduled. Fans should therefore treat the comments as a performer’s candid expression of interest, not a teaser for a reveal.
The situation also illustrates how public casting conversations can become muddled. A performer discussing an audition is sharing a personal account of a process already completed; it does not mean a production is actively negotiating another role. Until the show confirms a cast member and character, the most accurate description is that Richters wants the chance to audition.
From Zangief on screen to Zangief in Street Fighter 6
Richters’ immediate game-related ambition is not limited to acting. He said he is training in Street Fighter 6 with experienced players and wants to become one of the best Zangief players as well as portray the character on screen. His stated goal is to enter a tournament as “the real Zangief playing Zangief.”
That is an unusually direct bridge between an adaptation role and the community surrounding the original game. Competitive fighting games reward repeated practice, matchup knowledge, decision-making under pressure and the ability to execute consistently. Working with a seasoned player can help turn broad familiarity with a character into a more structured understanding of tournament play.
Richters was careful not to overstate where he is now. He said he is not at that level yet, but is committed to training with a professional Zangief player he recently met. He also connected the goal to the possibility of a second Street Fighter film: if another movie happens, he wants to be the “ultimate Zangief.” No sequel was confirmed in his comments, so that remains an aspiration rather than a statement about the franchise’s plans.
The effort could matter creatively even without a tournament appearance. A performer who spends time learning the game’s competitive language may bring a more informed sense of the character’s identity to future work. That does not replace acting or stunt preparation, but it can give an actor a stronger connection to the habits and fan culture around a long-running fighting-game fighter.
What happens next is entirely open
For now, Richters has two separate ambitions: develop his Zangief play in Street Fighter 6, and seek an audition for Týr in God of War. One is a self-directed training goal. The other depends on a production’s story plans, casting needs and timing.
The Kratos role is no longer an open question in this account, with Bautista selected after Hurst’s departure. Týr, however, is still an unknown. Richters’ enthusiasm may put a memorable candidate on the radar, particularly given how directly his physicality connects to his pitch, but it is not evidence of an offer.
That measured distinction is worth keeping in view as game adaptations continue to attract performers who are not merely aware of the original material, but want to be part of its communities. In a separate corner of game culture, players are still discovering how much unexpected experimentation games can support, as seen in this recently shared Majora’s Mask water glitch. Richters’ competitive Zangief goal comes from a different era and genre, but it reflects a similarly active relationship with the games beyond the screen.
For the moment, the clearest takeaway is also the simplest: Richters did not get Kratos, respects the actor chosen for the part, and has a different God of War role in mind. Whether Prime Video’s series makes room for Týr—and whether Richters gets his audition—remains unresolved.
