Tonight we dine in Valhalla! Netflix picks up 'Vikings' spin-off series, drops bloody first teaser

Netflix has officially picked up the Vikings baton from the History Channel with a sequel series — titled Vikings: Valhalla — from writer, executive producer, and showrunner Jeb Stuart. Michael Hirst, creator of the original series, is also on board as an executive producer for the show, which shines a light on some of the most famous Nordic figures of the early 11th century.

Sam Corlett (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) leads the pack as the legendary explorer Leif Eriksson. SpongeBob fans, where you at? Frida Gustavsson (The Witcher) and Leo Suter (Sanditon) co-star as Eriksson's headstrong sister, Freydis Eriksdotter, and ambitious prince, Harald Sigurdsson, respectively.

"As tensions between the Vikings and the English royals reach a bloody breaking point and as the Vikings themselves clash over their conflicting Christian and pagan beliefs, these three Vikings begin an epic journey that will take them across oceans and through battlefields, from Kattegat to England and beyond, as they fight for survival and glory," reads the official synopsis.

The story is set about 100 years after the events of Vikings.

Check out the teaser trailer below:

"We know Leif Eriksson was first European explorer sort of credited to have found the New World. So you can kind of bet that we'll be heading that way at some point in the series," Stuart teased to IGN. "We also know that Harald Sigurdsson was a king of Norway at some point. The Icelandic sagas talk a lot about Freydis. Her piece is very important in all of this."

The showrunner also explained that Valhalla takes a deeper dive into recorded history while its predecessor mainly dwelled in the "mythic world" of Viking culture. "This show has a lot more action to it. It has a different pacing to it," he added. "It still has that sort of, I hope it still has the Viking DNA to it because I love it as a fan, but I'm pretty upfront about the fact, and Michael knows this, that I write differently and I want to see a different show. So I hope that you, as a fan, can sort of see the transition (between) the two different shows."

Bradley Freegard (King Canute), Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Olaf Haraldsson), Caroline Henderson (Jarl Haakon), Laura Berlin (Emma of Normandy), David Oakes (Earl of Godwin), Louis Davison (Prince Edmund), Bosco Hogan (King Aethelred II), Asbjørn Krogh Nissen (Jarl Kåre), Pollyanna McIntosh (Aelfgifu of Northampton), and Soren Pilmark (King Sweyn Forkbeard) comprise the rest of the ensemble cast.

Morgan O’Sullivan, Sheila Hockin, Steve Stark, James Flynn, John Weber, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, and Paul Buccieri are executive producers alongside Stuart and Hirst.

All eight, one-hour episodes of Vikings: Valhalla will premiere on Netflix Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Photo: Netflix

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