Original Vikings creator Michael Hirst is returning to the franchise for new instalment Bloodaxe, a series he co-created with his son Horatio Hirst. The project was first revealed in 2025, but updates have gone quiet. When is it arriving on our screens?
At its peak, Vikings was talked about with as much esteem as Game of Thrones. Created by Michael Hirst, the series was a sprawling epic, condensing Viking history but perfectly capturing all of the brutality, gore, politics, and heroism that the era is known for. What began as a relatively low-budget historical drama on the HISTORY channel following legendary figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), grew exponentially into a big-budget period epic. It chronicles Ragnar’s entire life from lowly farmer to renowned explorer and warrior. As the series went on, it chronicled the lives of his equally legendary sons.
Vikings ran for 6 seasons before ultimately concluding in 2020. But the saga didn’t end there. A new sequel spinoff series, titled Vikings: Valhalla, was then picked up at Netflix, running for two seasons. Valhalla was another big success. Michael Hirst took a backseat on the spinoff, serving as an executive producer, with show-running duties falling to acclaimed Die Hard writer Jeb Stuart. The spinoff ran for two seasons; its ending was conclusive enough, but it still felt like there was plenty of life left in the series.
Next up in the growing Vikings roster is Bloodaxe. The spinoff series is set within Hirst’s continuity, set between the ending of Vikings and the beginning of Vikings Valhalla — a space of over a century. We follow titular Viking legend Eric Bloodaxe. A 10th-century Viking warrior and ruler, Eric Bloodaxe is the son of Norway’s first king, Harald Fairhair (a character played by Peter Franzén in Vikings), who gained his name thanks to slaughtering his brothers to consolidate the Norwegian throne.
The series is created by Michael Hirst, who returns to showrunning duties alongside his son Horatio Hirst. Additional executive producers include Steve Stark under his Toluca Pictures label, Arturo Interian, Morgan O’Sullivan, John Weber, and Sheila Hockin.
The official logline reads:
Bloodaxe is an epic historical drama that chronicles the rise of one of history’s most famous Viking warriors, Erik Bloodaxe, and his formidable wife, Gunnhild, Mother of Kings. 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 the ruthless Kings of other Scandinavian countries, and even a powerful English ruler, the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic, compelling and utterly magical new Viking Saga.
We are thrilled to partner with Michael and Horatio Hirst, who have an impressive track record bringing historical dramas to life with stunning authenticity and gripping storytelling,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “This story is a fascinating tale of Erik Bloodaxe and we can’t wait to unveil this new chapter to transport our global customers back to a fascinating era of history.”
“I feel blessed and deeply excited that Amazon has given me the opportunity to return to the fantastic world of the Norse Sagas and the men, women and gods of the Viking world who have come to mean so much to me,” said Michael Hirst. “Horatio and I intend to open your eyes to incredible new characters and unbelievable stories, all of which happen to be true and many of which changed the course of history.”
The full cast list for Bloodaxe is listed below:
Xavier Molyneux as Erik Bloodaxe
Jessica Madsen as Gunnhild
Levi Miller as Haakon the Good
Karlis Arnolds Avots as Egil
Rod Hallett as Athelstan (King of Wessex)
Alina Tomnikov as Greta/The Seer
Sisse Marie as Thyra (Queen of Denmark)
Rune Temte as Gorm (King of Denmark)
Jesper Christensen as Harald Fairhair (King of Norway)
Marc Rissmann as Greycloak
Kai Luke Brümmer as Strut-Harald
Arthur McBain as Sigrod
Mads Reuther as the Jarl of Hladir
Saku Taittonen as Knut
When did filming begin on Bloodaxe?
The series officially began production a year ago in June 2025 in Wicklow, Ireland, which was also the main production hub for the original Vikings series.
Bloodaxe has not set a release date yet, but the original aim was for a 2026 premiere. We currently have no first looks or teasers. Whether it reaches that 2026 release remains to be seen, but we’re not ruling it out. Keep an eye on Prime Video, folks!
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