Sam Corlett, Vikings: Valhalla
Netflix
If you thought that Vikings creator Michael Hirst was done producing TV sagas about violent Norsemen pillaging and plundering, you were all the way wrong. After six seasons of that first series, and three more with Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix, Hirst and co. are coming back with Bloodaxe, a brand-new series from Amazon Prime Video focused on Eric Bloodaxe, a legendary Viking who pulled all sorts of violent machinations in his attempts to rule Norway and England.
After Prime Video helped bring the last few seasons of the original Vikings series to fruition, it looks like the streamer wants some more. And it seems to be the same story for Hirst, who served as producer but didn’t write on Valhalla. With Bloodaxe, Hirst is serving as creator and writer alongside his son Horatio Hirst.
Will Hirst have another hit with Bloodaxe? Let’s take a look at what we know so far.
Bloodaxe expected release date
Both previous Vikings shows were pretty efficient affairs, always delivering new episodes consistently year after year without any of the multi-year gaps we often expect from big, action-oriented period shows like these. Production is scheduled to start this summer, so we’d expect that Bloodaxe will arrive on Amazon Prime Video in 2026.Â
How Bloodaxe ties into Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla
The story of Eric Bloodaxe occurs during the 10th century, squarely in between the original Vikings and its sequel series Valhalla, which took place in the 9th and 11th centuries, respectively. While the new series is technically a standalone production, Eric was the son of Harald Fairhair, a major character on the original Vikings (played by Peter Franzén) who conquered Norway in the later seasons once Ragnar’s kids were spending all their time fighting in England. So you can bet good money there will be references to the events of that series.
Who is Eric Bloodaxe?
The story of Eric Bloodaxe, which is based more in legend than reliable history, is a pretty Game of Thrones-ish scenario. Eric is the favored offspring of King Harald, who makes his sons governors over the various regions of Norway. When Harald dies, Eric gets into a war of succession and has to murder a bunch of his brothers to take power — but his rule is short-lived, and he’s ousted by his younger brother Haakon and exiled to England within a few years. There he embarks on a new road to power in Northumbria, where he once again becomes king.
While Eric’s story plays out over several decades in the historical records, the previous Vikings series had a tendency to compress things for the sake of the narrative — the first series, for example, managed to squeeze a century of Viking lore into a decade of plot.Â
Bloodaxe cast and crew
Bloodaxe has three main cast members: Australian actor Xavier Molyneux will play the title character, fellow Aussie Levi Miller will play his previously mentioned younger brother Haakon the Good, and Bridgerton star Jessica Madsen will play Eric’s wife Gunnhild, the Mother of Kings.
The series has added a number of other key roles as well, starting with Rod Hallett as King Athelstan, the man who is historically considered to be the first real king of England, and who was the grandson of King Alfred from the original series. Karlis Arnolds Avots will play Egil, the mythical star of the Viking tome Egil’s Saga, who had a mutual blood feud with Eric and Gunnhild. Jesper Christensen will be Eric’s father King Harald, and Rune Temte and Sisse Marie will play the king and queen of Denmark.
Where to watch the previous Vikings shows
Both the original Vikings series and Valhalla are available to stream on Netflix.