The long-awaited follow-up to Vikings finally hit Netflix on Feb. 25, and like many new shows, Vikings: Valhalla quickly rose to the top of Netflix charts around the world. Vikings: Valhalla features a completely new cast and is set about 100 years after the events of the original series. Valhalla was created by Jeb Stuart and includes Vikings creator Michael Hirst as an executive producer.
Since Valhalla was released, the show has risen to the Top 10 in several countries, according to FlixPatrol. The show debuted at number three in the U.S. but is now number one on the Top 10 in the U.S. Today chart. Valhalla is also number one in the U.K., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, and Germany.
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Like Vikings, Valhalla is inspired by history and includes real historical figures, while making changes for dramatic effect. It covers a dramatic period during the Viking Age, culminating with the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Sam Corlett (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) stars as Leif Erikson, while Frida Gustavsson (The Whitcher) plays his sister, Freydís Eiríksdóttir. Other members of the main cast include Leo Suter, Bradley Freegard, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Caroline Henderson, Laura Berlin, and David Oakes.
One of the big setpieces in Valhalla comes in the fourth episode when Leif leads a small group of Vikings to bring London Bridge down. “I love that [sequence] ’cause it’s a huge battle, but it’s a really unconventional battle,” Suter told Decider of the scene. “It’s a medieval battle but it’s also got like so many mechanical elements to it. There are insert shots of arrows landing in the right place and strings being tied which is integral to the whole plan working.”
Corlett recalled how physically demanding the shoot was. Once the cast finally saw the episode though, it was all worth it. “It was kind of interesting because a lot of our stuff was in one area and to finally see all the elements come together in the final cut of Episode 4, it was quite incredible,” he told Decider.
The original Vikings series ran from 2013 to 2020 and was the first scripted drama series for the History Channel. It was a huge success for the network, but the last 10 episodes of the final season were only released on Amazon’s Prime Video platform. Netflix did not secure streaming rights for Vikings before releasing the follow-up, but it can be found on Hulu, Peacock, and Prime Video.
