In anticipation of the upcoming season, Netflix has released the first images from Vikings: Valhalla Season 2. The images are visually striking, and are set against a dramatic Scandinavian background. The first-look at the new season gives viewers a small teaser of what to expect in the upcoming season, including both new and familiar faces, as well as plenty of drama and action, and already promise an exciting season filled with romance, battles, and axes.
Showrunner and executive producer Jeb Stuart introduced the new characters and cast members, which include Harekr (Bradley James), Mariam (Hayat Kamille), King Yaraslav the Wise (Marcin Dorocinski), and Elena (Sofya Lebedeva). Harekr is the ruler of Jómsborg, which Stuart describes to be “a sort of legendary Viking place where the Uber-pagan Vikings lived.” Mariam is a Syrian astronomer who gets stuck in the North and encounters the Vikings. She can read and understand Latin, Greek, Arabic and Russian. King Yaraslav is the ruler of Novgorod, and was a very successful warrior in Northern Russia. Stuart describes Yaraslav as a “wonderful wit that audiences will really enjoy, like how he doesn’t really give Harald a whole lot of ground. He’s got that tough-love uncle thing.” Finally, Elena is the daughter of a Russian noble, who is from a village called Chud, which was frequently raided by the Vikings.
Season 2 picks up shortly after the fall of Kattegat, a strategic area between Sweden and Denmark that was the home and stronghold for the Vikings. The fall of Kattegat altered the futures and destinies of the Vikings, as they suddenly find themselves as fugitives in Scandinavia. Season 2 will follow the Vikings’ journey as they venture beyond their familiar fjords to test their courage and reshape their future. In an interview with Netflix, Jeb Stuart gave some details about what viewers can expect from Season 2:
“The whole concept of Season 2 is that we take these three heroes who are in Scandinavia and blow them out of their comfort zones. Season 2 for Harald and Leif is a road trip: It’s Thelma and Louise on the Dnieper River. The two of them will begin this incredible journey. Freydís has to go to Pomerania, which is a very difficult environment.”
Stuart also shared that Season 2 will take place in a much different environment, far beyond Scandinavia. He explained the reason for the change in environment, saying
“Season 2 will show that sometimes when you hang out with the people that are just like you, eat like you, talk like you, you can still run into trouble. So you need to stir the pot, which I think is what the Vikings did. And they did it beautifully, better than probably any other culture out there. So we put together this motley crew of Russian nobles, Muslim astronomers and con men, and they shove off from Novgorod.”
Vikings: Valhalla follows the epic antics of legendary Viking explorer Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), and his motley band of Viking misfits. Together with his strong-headed sister Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and the Norwegian Prince Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Siter), the trio embark on various adventures filled with revenge, romance, and conflict. Vikings: Valhalla is a sequel to the History channel’s show Vikings, and takes place one hundred years after the events of Vikings. The series is loosely based off of real events, and chronicles the beginning of the end of the Viking Age. It is produced for Netflix by MGM Television, and is executive-produced by Jeb Stuart, Morgan O’Sullivan, and Michael Hirst.
Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 debuts January 12, 2023 on Netflix. Check out the images and official show trailer below:
