VIKINGS VALHALLA-THEY’RE BACK
True To History & Bloodier Than Ever
The new Netflix sequel to the widely praised History Channel original, Vikings: Valhalla, draws inspiration from the two great Vinland Sagas: The Saga of the Greenlanders (Grænlendinga Saga) and The Saga of Erik the Red, (Eiríks Saga Rauða) to tell Leif Erikson’s bold and bloody story.
Sam Corlett (recently seen in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) will be taking the lead role of Leif Erikson. The authenticity of the last historical campaigns against England signaled the end of the pagan Viking era and the rise of Christianity in Europe. Fans of the original Vikings series who loved Katheryn Winnick’s fierce portrayal of the shield maiden Lagertha will be pleased to see Frida Gustavsson playing a similarly head-strong and defiant Freydis Ericsdotter (the “dotter” or “daughter” of Eric the Red), who wields a sword with as much ferocity as her brother Leif.
Having premiered on The History Channel, many scenes from the first few seasons of Vikings made it apparent that the show-runners were working with a limited budget. While obvious green screens and somewhat simplistic battle sequences did not ruin immersion, Vikings in 2013-2015 certainly wanted the level of detail and polish that we saw in a show like Game of Thrones. The two most recent Netflix trailers for Vikings: Valhalla clearly show that no expense has been spared this time around.
One awe-inspiring scene, most likely depicting the historical Battle of Stamford Bridge, shows Louis Davison as Prince Edmund narrowly rearing his horse in time to avoid the collapse of a large wooden bridge being ripped apart by Norse longboats. It wouldn’t surprise me if this battle alone had a bigger budget than the original Vikings’ entire first season.
Although there are recurring characters from Vikings, viewers may still want to rewatch the original show to prepare for Valhalla since it does provide a good amount of historical context for the ever-escalating conflicts between the Norse and English peoples. Available on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video and coming in at a massive 89 episodes, viewers should start their Vikings journey now if they want to finish all six seasons in time for Valhalla’s Netflix debut on February 25.
