Vikings (TV series)
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| Vikings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Historical period drama Action-adventure |
| Created by | Michael Hirst |
| Written by | Michael Hirst |
| Starring |
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| Opening theme | "If I Had a Heart" by Fever Ray |
| Composer | Trevor Morris |
| Country of origin | Canada Ireland |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 51 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production locations | Ashford Studios County Wicklow |
| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | History |
| Release | March 3, 2013 – present |
Vikings is a historical drama television series written and created by Michael Hirst for the History channel. Filmed in Ireland, it premiered on March 3, 2013 in Canada.[1]
Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France. The show portrays Ragnar as a farmer who rises to fame by successful raids into England, and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king, with the support of his family and fellow warriors: his brother Rollo, his son Björn Ironside, and his wives—the shieldmaiden Lagertha and the princess Aslaug.
On March 17, 2016, History renewed Vikings for a fifth season of 20 episodes, which premiered on November 29, 2017. On September 12, 2017, ahead of its fifth-season premiere, the series was renewed for a sixth season, which will consist of 20 episodes.
Premise
The series is inspired by the tales of the Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia. It follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew and family, as notably laid down in the 13th-century sagas Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr, as well as in Saxo Grammaticus's 12th-century work Gesta Danorum. Norse legendary sagas were partially fictional tales based on Norse oral tradition, written down about 200 to 400 years after the events they describe. Further inspiration is taken from historical sources of the period, such as records of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne depicted in the second episode, or Ahmad ibn Fadlan's 10th-century account of the Volga Vikings. The series is set at the beginning of the Viking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793.
Cast
- Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok (seasons 1–4)
- Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha
- Clive Standen as Rollo[2]
- Jessalyn Gilsig as Siggy (seasons 1–3)
- Gustaf Skarsgård as Floki
- George Blagden as Athelstan (main seasons 1–3, guest season 4)
- Gabriel Byrne as Earl Haraldson (season 1)
- Alyssa Sutherland as Aslaug (seasons 1–4)[3]
- Donal Logue as Horik of Denmark (seasons 1–2)
- Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn Ironside (seasons 2–)
- Linus Roache as Ecbert of Wessex (seasons 2–4)
- Ben Robson as Kalf (seasons 3–4)
- Kevin Durand as Harbard (seasons 3–4)
- Lothaire Bluteau as Charles of West Francia (seasons 3–4)
- John Kavanagh as The Seer (recurring seasons 1–3, main seasons 4–) and Pope Leo IV (guest season 4)
- Peter Franzén as Harald Finehair (seasons 4–)[4]
- Jasper Pääkkönen as Halfdan the Black (seasons 4–)[4]
- Moe Dunford as Aethelwulf (recurring seasons 2–4, main seasons 4–)
- Alex Høgh as Ivar the Boneless (seasons 4–)
- Marco Ilsø as Hvitserk (seasons 4–)
- David Lindström as Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye (season 4)
- Jordan Patrick Smith as Ubbe (seasons 4–)
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Bishop Heahmund (seasons 4–)
Production
An Irish-Canadian co-production, Vikings was developed and produced by Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions.[1] Michael Hirst, Morgan O'Sullivan, John Weber, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn and Sheila Hockin are credited as executive producers.[1] The first season's budget was reported as US$40 million.[5]
The series began filming in July 2012 at Ashford Studios, a newly built facility in Ireland,[6] chosen as a location for its tax advantages.[5] On August 16, 2012, longship scenes were filmed at Luggala, as well as on the Poulaphouca Reservoir in the Wicklow Mountains.[7] 70 percent of the first season was filmed outdoors.[5] Some additional background shots were done in western Norway.[8]
Johan Renck,[9] Ciarán Donnelly and Ken Girotti each directed three episodes. The production team included cinematographer John Bartley, costume designer Joan Bergin, production designer Tom Conroy, composer Trevor Morris and Irish choir Crux Vocal Ensemble, directed by Paul McGough.
On April 5, 2013, History renewed Vikings for a ten-episode second season.[10]
Two new series regulars were announced on June 11, 2013. Alexander Ludwig, portraying the teenage Björn, and Linus Roache, playing King Ecbert of Wessex.<ref>Goldberg, Lesley. 'Vikings' Enlists 'Hunger Games', 'Law & Order' Actors for Season 2, The Hollywood Reporter, June 11, 2013. A
- ^ a b c "VIKINGS Tops The Ratings With 8.3 Million Viewers". Irish Film Board. March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
- ^ Turnbow, Tina (March 18, 2013). "Reflections of a Viking by Clive Standen". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- ^ Mitchell, John (April 25, 2013). "'Vikings' season finale: Mysterious beauty tempts Ragnar". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ a b "History's Hit Drama Series "Vikings" Returns for Season Four on Thursday, February 18 at 10 PM ET/PT". The Futon Critic. December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c Justin, Neal (March 2, 2013). "Meet the real Ragnar on History Channel's 'Vikings'". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
autogenerated1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Kelpie, Colm (August 17, 2012). "Viking hordes are back to make history". Irish Independent. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ^ "FILMS SHOT IN NORWAY". Film commission Norway. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
- ^ "Resumé: "Det är mörkt och dramatiskt"". Resume.se. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ "Vikings Renewed". Seat42f. April 5, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.