For everybody who's been mourning the loss of Michael Hirst's historical action saga Vikings from the current TV schedule, Netflix is about to deliver what appears to be an equally epic return to that world. Just quite a bit later on the ol' timeline. The streaming service has revealed the first look at the sequel spinoff Vikings: Valhalla, as seen above, and there's no lack of seafaring, sword-fighting or solemnly stated declarations. Check it out above!
Vikings: Valhalla will take place 100 years after the events of the flagship Vikings series, making it even HARDER for fans to rally together with theories about Travis Fimmel's potential return as Ragnar. But that's all good, because there are lots of new badass characters to hook everyone's attention, even if we're only getting a limited look at them in the preview above. Arguably the lightning rod for everything is Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Sam Corlett as Leif Eriksson, one of the most notable and important Vikings in all of recorded history. And while he looks quite content and pleasant enough in the opening moments, that feeling definitely won't last forever.
The Witcher actress Frida Gustavsson's Freydis Eriksdotter also serves as a vigilant badass within the squad, and it's possible she'll earn the same fanbase that adored Katheryn Winnick as Vikings' Lagertha. She certainly looks ready for battle in the trailer, if not completely confident that it will all go her way. I cannot imagine how non-confident I would be as a Viking. Even if I was just, like, the guy cleaning everyone's armor. "I hope you don't want all the blood coming out of this, because it's not."
While only a first look, the Vikings: Valhalla preview still gives fans a decent idea of what to expect on top of what was already anticipated. The entire video is soaked in a feeling of ominous dread, with violence curling around every corner, and you just know some of the characters we're seeing are going to be dead by the time the first season is finished. Plus, I'm a sucker for a shot of a huge formation of boats approaching a shore, as well as battle scenes with dirt and mud flying all around, so lots of boxes were checked.
As for other characters who did and did not make brief appearances in the promo, Sanditon and The Liberator's Leo Suter is taking on the role of one of the last Viking berserkers Harald Sigurdsson, with Game of Thrones and Cursed vet Jóhannes Jóhannesson as his Old Testament-following half-brother Olaf Haroldsson. Keeping Faith's Bradley Freegard will portray Denmark's leader King Canute, with Walking Dead vet Pollyanna McIntosh as Queen Ælfgifu. Other stars include Laura Berlin as the ambitious Emma of Normandy, David Oakes as the King of England's chief counsellor Earl Godwin and Caroline Henderson as the warrior leader Jarl Haakon.
Vikings: Valhalla hails in part from Vikings creator Michael Hirst, but also from screenwriter Jeb Stuart, who co-wrote such hits as Die Hard, Another 48 Hrs. and The Fugitive. At this point, fans can already expect to see at least 24 episodes, so no worries about things ending way too soon.
Vikings: Valhalla doesn't yet have a premiere date set for when the first season will drop on Netflix, but we know it's coming at some point in 2022, so keep your calendars ready for updates. And in the meantime, check out everything hitting the 2021 Fall TV schedule.
