The History channel surprised audiences everywhere with the runaway success of its drama series Vikings. Now, following the show's recent finale, an official spinoff series has been in the works, and Netflix just announced its cast. That's right, Netflix. Not History.
The spinoff, appropriately called Vikings: Valhalla, will be set 100 years after the events of the original Vikings show, and as such is set to feature an entirely new cast of characters. Some such characters include actual historical figures like Leif Erikson, the famous Norse explorer who landed on the future North American continent centuries before Columbus. Erikson will be played by Sam Corlett, perhaps best known as Caliban in Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The show will also feature Norse woman and daughter of Erik the Red, Freydis Eriksdotter. Her actress will be Swedish performer Frida Gustavsson, seen on Netflix's The Witcher.
Vikings: Valhalla was announced in 2019 by Netflix, signaling the franchise's move from History to the streaming service. According to series creator Michael Hirst, the History channel was making an effort focus more on actual documentaries than scripted dramas like Vikings. This opened up the spiritual successor to move on to Netflix.
Aside from the two characters mentioned earlier, the cast will also feature Leo Suter, Bradley Freegard, Jóhannes Jóhannesson, Laura Berlin, David Oakes, Caroline Henderson, Pollyanna McIntosh, and Asbjørn Krogh Nissen. This eclectic group will star in Vikings: Valhalla as a collection of historical Norse figures, and according to Netflix's official description, "these men and women will blaze a path as they fight for survival in the ever-changing and evolving world."
Vikings: Valhalla seems to be arriving at just the right time, particularly with the relatively recent release of Ubisoft's own Viking tribute, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Shared talent for names aside, the drama series and the video game series both seem to have a particular focus on actual history. Sure, Assassin's Creed tends to go a bit hog wild when it comes to embellishing historical details, but every story based on a real past needs to add a few spices to stay exciting.
Granted, some may object to such creative liberties, and it's easy to see why. From the heritage of actual Norse people to the laser-focused detail precision of history buffs, there's always value in historical accuracy. But no matter which direction Vikings: Valhalla takes, it's sure to be something nice and meaty for Viking fans and Vikings fans alike.
Vikings: Valhalla currently has no set release date, but hopefully fans can stream it on Netflix before the year is up.
Source: IGN