Netflix has shared a first look at the upcoming TV series Vikings: Valhalla at their global fan event Tudum. A sequel to Vikings, Valhalla is a spin-off created by original series creators Michael Hirst and Jeb Stuart (who also wrote the action movie Die Hard, which we’re legally obligated to mention because it’s so cool).
Set in the early 11th century years, 100 after the events of Vikings, the show will follow one of the most famous Vikings of all time, Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett). Eriksson was a famed explorer who sailed to North America hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus claimed he discovered the country.
Eriksson isn’t the only famous Viking who’ll appear in the spin-off. A number of legendary figures will appear in Valhalla, including, Harald Hardrada (Leo Suter), Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), and most notably Norman King William the Conqueror (Clive Standen). In a recent interview with Collider, Hirst insisted that even if you’ve never watched the original series, you can enjoy Valhalla but added that it did enrich the new series.
“You don’t need to know who Ragnar is to watch the new show,” he said. “But it enriches the show and it hopefully will make people go back and find out, ‘Well who are these people they keep talking about? Was Ragnar so great? Why are these people mythic characters?’ So everything connects in a useful, and interesting, and fascinating way.”
The Vikings have returned. They will take no prisoners.
Here's your first look at the highly anticipated Vikings: Valhalla #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/cemmyWSnZR
— Netflix Geeked is watching #Tudum (@NetflixGeeked) September 25, 2021
Vikings: Valhalla has no release date at the time of writing but it will stream exclusively on Netflix.