CGood morning, it's Monday. Dave Bautista just made the God of War casting even more obvious.
LIGN posted that Bautista says he gained twenty pounds of muscle to play Kratos.
CTwenty pounds of muscle on a guy built like a tank—that is a serious commitment.
LHe put it on Instagram. He says he's around two-fifty now.
CHe signed on in August for Amazon's Prime Video series.
LRight, replacing Ryan Hurst, who was originally cast but got injured on set.
CThe show is based on the PlayStation games, so this is a really physical role.
LKratos is a Spartan demigod with a very complicated relationship to anger.
CThe look is perfect, but can he carry that emotional weight?
LHe's shown real presence. Kratos is a father trying not to pass his anger down to his kid.
CThat's why the casting could work. Bautista has that mix of intimidation and softness.
LThe costume department is still sweating, though.
CFair. Twenty pounds of muscle says he is not coasting.
LNow from a god-killer to a spy. Variety posted Jack Lowden's response to those James Bond rumors.
CThe man is playing it exactly right. He says the talk is flattering, but he is "not really going to add to the noise."
LNo confirmation, no denial. The internet is going to read that as a yes.
CThere is still no official announcement on who's next, but every long pause becomes a clue.
LAnd every Scottish actor under fifty gets a trending hashtag.
CYou already cast him, didn't you?
LI like a Scottish Bond. That's an opinion, not a casting call.
CSure. I saw you practicing the theme song in the mirror.
LThat was between me and the mirror.
CDifferent world entirely. IGN reports the studio from Yakuza creator Toshiro Nagoshi has shut down before it could release a game.
LThat's rough. He built one of the most distinctive game series out there—known as Like a Dragon in Japan.
CWe can't independently confirm the closure yet, but IGN says it happened before the studio shipped anything.
LHonestly, a big-name studio going silent is worse than shipping a dud. At least a dud teaches you something.
CI don't know. Losing that creative voice before we even see the new idea feels like a real loss.
LMaybe someone hands him a weapon and tells him to go full Kratos.
CA Monday morning where everyone becomes Kratos? I'd watch that.
LAnd if you want an argument before the coffee kicks in, Billboard ranked every VMA Video of the Year winner.
CTheir critic's list is always an act of violence against somebody's childhood.
LThe rankings mix eras, so you're guaranteed to be mad.
CAs long as "Single Ladies" is in the top three, we're fine.
LI'd put "This Is America" above it, actually.
COh, come on. That's a different era, a different kind of video.
LExactly. That's why ranking art is a trap.
CLet's agree to disagree and move on.
LDone. Happy Monday.