Vikings: Valhalla is set to drop on Netflix next week. Already, there is plenty of hype surrounding the new series thanks to the fact that it follows on from History Channel’s Vikings.
While not following the same characters, Kattegat, the Norwegian town at the center of the first series is still the hub of activity in Vikings: Valhalla. in addition to this, many of the same locations and sets have been utilized when filming the spinoff series.
Set some 125 years after the events that unfolded in Vikings, Vikings: Valhalla will focus on Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), his brother Olaf Haraldsson (Johannes Haukur Johannesson), Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), his sister Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), King Canute (Bradley Freegard), Prince Edmund (Louis Davison), and Emma of Normandy (Laura Berlin).
Vikings: Valhalla is not all about the battles
While the main characters may feature mostly men, the series showrunner insists that Vikings: Valhalla will not be directed totally toward their stories.
“I think the success [of the franchise] has been exactly because it isn’t just dudes stabbing [things],” Vikings: Valhalla historical advisor Justin Pollard told Den of Geek.
“You’d get bored of finding ways to stab people, wouldn’t you? The joy of [the show] is you’re going to see one of those periods in history that everyone says, ‘oh, yeah, I know about that.’ But in fact, you’ve no idea, and it will be genuinely surprising to see how it actually played out.”
While there may not be a concentrated emphasis on guys with swords, viewers can still look forward to some pretty epic battle scenes, including one that occurs on London Bridge.
It’s not a man’s world in Vikings: Valhalla
Along with the male characters, Vikings: Valhalla will take a deeper look at some of the famous female characters that existed during the Viking Age.
Justin Pollard was interested in bringing back to life various aspects of the female perspective that may have been wiped out of the history books.
“It was really important,” Pollard explained.
“[Vikings creator] Michael [Hirst] and [showrunner] Jeb [Stuart] wanted that right from the start. It’s about actually showing that the role of women in pre-conquest society was extremely dynamic and extremely important. And the only reason you don’t know that is because late historians have rubbed those bits out.”
Because of this, Vikings: Valhalla will bring to life the stories of Freydis and Emma most notably but also draws on some of the other colorful female characters including Queen Aelfgifu (Pollyanna McIntosh).
Season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla will premiere on Netflix on February 25, 2022.