Prime Video is feeling pretty confident about its new Viking drama, as the streamer has already renewed ‘Bloodaxe’ for a 2nd Season before Season 1 has even made its debut.
Created, written, and executive produced by ‘Vikings’ Michael Hirst, alongside his son, Horatio Hirst, the epic historical drama tells the true story of legendary Viking warrior Erik Bloodaxe and his formidable wife, Gunnhild, Mother of Kings. Season 2 is set to begin production this August in Dublin, Ireland.
“As the writers and showrunners of Bloodaxe, Horatio and I are very excited to announce that Amazon have also already commissioned a second season of our new Norse saga for Prime Video, which begins shooting in Ireland within a few weeks,” Michael Hirst said. “We recognise how fortunate we are and we would both like to thank Peter Friedlander and Amazon MGM Studios for their belief in us and in this new incarnation of a show which means so much to millions of people across the world. We should add that we are so proud of the way Bloodaxe has turned out, in terms of its incredible storylines, its powerful invocation of Viking beliefs, its dramatic recreation of the way that Christianity has started to overcome the pagan world, and – not least – the way we use magic realism in an effort to induct the audience into a Viking mind-set. Basically, now the cat is out of the bag, we are thrilled that we can soon offer a world-wide audience the chance to re-enter the beautiful Norse world.”
In Season 1, ‘Bloodaxe’ chronicles the rise of Erik Bloodaxe, played by Xavier Molyneux, and his formidable wife Gunnhild, Mother of Kings, played by Jessica Madsen. As they fight for the throne of Norway, the land is torn apart by fierce rivals, shifting loyalties, and bloody betrayals. With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom, drawing in ruthless kings from other Scandinavian countries and even a powerful English ruler, the stage is set for a new Norse saga full of drama, conflict and, by the sound of it, a fair bit of magical weirdness too.
“Michael and Horatio are skillful storytellers whose work has consistently demonstrated the global appeal of ambitious historical drama,” said Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television, Amazon MGM Studios. “With Bloodaxe, they have created a sweeping saga that combines rich historical detail, compelling characters, and cinematic scale. As we continue to build a slate of premium global event series for Prime Video customers around the world, we are thrilled to renew Bloodaxe for a second season.”
Alongside Xavier Molyneux and Jessica Madsen, the first season also stars Karlis Arnolds Avots, Levi Miller, Rod Hallett, Alina Tomnikov, Sisse Marie, Rune Temte, and Jesper Christensen.
The series is created, written, and executive produced by Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst. Additional executive producers include Steve Stark under his Toluca Pictures banner, Arturo Interian, Morgan O’Sullivan, John Weber, and Sheila Hockin. The series is produced by MGM Television, a division of Amazon MGM Studios.
Prime Video clearly has high hopes for this one, and given Michael Hirst’s previous work bringing Viking history to television, an early renewal suggests they are expecting ‘Bloodaxe’ to become another big historical event series for the streamer.
‘Bloodaxe’ Season 1 will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. If I want to keep track of this or any other shows, I can add them via our Never Miss system, and I’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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