EXCLUSIVE: Rita Ora and Ella Purnell have been unveiled for the lead voice cast roles of Harald Zwart’s animated viking girls adventure ViQueens as Sola Media gear up to launch sales at the AFM.
Billed as a high-energy adventure-comedy, ViQueens follows two fearless Viking girls, Ingrid (Purnell) and Hedvig (Ora), as they defy tradition to return a stowaway boy to China.
Their journey spans icy fjords, Byzantine intrigue, and the fabled Silk Road, blending Viking grit with ancient Chinese wisdom, unexpected alliances, and a touch of magic.
Annie Award-winning composer Christophe Beck, whose scores for Frozen and Frozen II are known to hundreds of millions worldwide, with other credits including Buffy The Vampire Slayer, has written the original score for the film.
Sola Media has unveiled a first look for the film as it gears up to launch international sales in L.A.
ViQueens
Zwart Arbeid
The feature marks Dutch-Norwegian director Zwart’s first animated feature after live-action titles such as World War Two drama The 12th Man; fantasy adventure The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and The Karate Kid, starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith.
Purnell arrives fresh from Yellowjackets, with past voice roles including Jinx in the hit animated series Arcane, while UK pop artist Ora lent her voice to the character of Wondering Blade in the Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight series and was also in the voice cast of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu.
Sola Media will unveil an exclusive teaser at the AFM for the film, which is scheduled for delivery in the last quarter of 2026, with a home territory release slated for December 26, 2026.
Additional cast include Steve Speirs as King Erik, Anton Lesser as the scheming brother Lars, and Alan Carr as the Bard, a lyrically challenged royal scribe.
ViQueens is produced by Veslemoey Zwart of Zwart Arbeid (The 12th Man, Troll, and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), with executive producers Torgeir Sanders of Gimpville (Troll, Troll Hunter), Robert Chandler of Space Age Films (The Amazing Maurice, The Canterville Ghost), Peter Clausen of OPCM (Lilyhammer, Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole, Troll and Billionaires Island), and Andrew Williams of Vamonos and Solveig Langeland of Sola Media.
“As a Norwegian, I was often urged to make a Viking film,” said director Harald Zwart. “But the usual dark, violent portrayals never appealed to me. When Veslemøy brought me the idea for ViQueens, it offered a fresh perspective — a story about how Norway, once feared, is now best known for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize. That transformation, imagined through the journey of two brave young girls, completely captivated me. It was the Viking story I had been waiting to tell.”
“ViQueens delivers exactly the kind of striking storytelling we’re passionate about championing,” added Langeland, Managing Director of Sola Media. “It’s fresh, fun and emotionally resonant – with rich visuals, cross-cultural themes and a world-class team behind it. This is the kind of film that will travel widely.”
Zwart Arbeid – a tongue-in-cheek name that means “under-the-table work” in Norwegian – is the joint company of wife and husband team Veslemoey Ruud Zwart and Harald Zwart.
With countless award-winning commercials, music videos and features to their name, the Zwarts have built a reputation for high-quality storytelling across genres.
Zwart Arbeid also produced Long Flat Balls, the most successful comedy franchise in Scandinavian cinema, and as well as World War Two epic The 12th Man, which sold to over 100 countries and remains one of the highest-grossing films in Norwegian box office history.
The company operates offices in L.A. and Norway.