The drama chronicles the rise of one of history's most famous Norse raiders, 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 counties, and even a powerful English ruler, the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic, compelling and utterly magical new Norse Saga.
The drama stars Xavier Molyneux, Jessica Madsen, Karlis Arnolds Avots, Levi Miller, Rod Hallett, Alina Tomnikov, Sisse Marie, Rune Temte and Jesper Christensen.
Michael Hirst and his son Horatio Hirst created the drama. They executive produce with Steve Stark, Arturo Interian, Morgan O'Sullivan, John Weber and Sheila Hockin. MGM Television and Toluca Pictures produce.
"As the writers and showrunners of Bloodaxe, Horatio and I are very excited to announce that Amazon have also already commissioned a second season of our new Norse saga for Prime Video, which begins shooting in Ireland within a few weeks," said Michael Hirst. "We recognize how fortunate we are and we would both like to thank Peter Friedlander and Amazon MGM Studios for their belief in us and in this new incarnation of a show which means so much to millions of people across the world. We should add that we are so proud of the way Bloodaxe has turned out, in terms of its incredible storylines, its powerful invocation of Viking beliefs, its dramatic recreation of the way that Christianity has started to overcome the pagan world, and - not least - the way we use magic realism in an effort to induct the audience into a Viking mind-set. Basically, now the cat is out of the bag, we are thrilled that we can soon offer a world-wide audience the chance to re-enter the beautiful Norse world."
"Michael and Horatio are skillful storytellers whose work has consistently demonstrated the global appeal of ambitious historical drama," added Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television, Amazon MGM Studios. "With Bloodaxe, they have created a sweeping saga that combines rich historical detail, compelling characters, and cinematic scale. As we continue to build a slate of premium global event series for Prime Video customers around the world, we are thrilled to renew Bloodaxe for a second season."
