Netflix has just released a batch of character posters for Vikings: Valhalla that bring our Danish protagonists to the forefront of the struggle against Saxons.
After chronicling the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons to an extent in Vikings, showrunner Michael Hirst is back with a spinoff series that takes place a hundred years after the events of the main story. Valhalla tells the tale of Leif the Lucky and Harald Hardrada as they fight for survival against an emergent England at the height of the Medieval period.
According to the producers, the new narrative will go into the end of the Viking Age by bringing the Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066) to life, so it’s safe to presume that the spinoff will more than live up to the gory reputation of the original series in depicting historical battles.
As you can see for yourself below, the newly released character posters perfectly embody that spirit while also showing off Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) who’ll headline Valhalla as its new protagonists.
Jeb Stuart, who writes and produces the show alongside Hirst, recently told IGN that the new series will focus on the divide between Christians and pagans.
“It took a long time for Christianity to take root. When it did it, it didn’t soft-sell it. It had to go in all the way. And I mean, I think we even describe it as almost a tidal wave and you’d get a guy like Olaf the Stout would come in and say, ‘Give me all your pagan symbols. I want all of your idols and bring me your idols out and you must convert.’ And they would say no. And then he literally would kill everybody in the village. I mean, everybody. No questions asked.”
Since Vikings mostly dealt with the political and military climate of the 9th century, this unique approach, reminiscent of Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories saga, will help turn the series into something more than just a cash-grab attempt at imitating the success of the original.
Vikings: Valhalla is set for a Feb. 25 release on Netflix.