The Vikings creator’s Bloodaxe is shooting season 2 before anyone has seen season 1
Prime Video’s Viking drama Bloodaxe is already shooting season 2 in Ireland, lining up new recurring faces — including a Saw star — before the first season premieres.
If you thought the Viking craze was slowing down, think again. Bloodaxe is already deep into production on its second season over in Ireland, and here’s the fun bit: that’s happening before the first season has even premiered. Trust Prime Video to get a bit ahead of themselves — clearly, they’re betting big on the tale of Erik Bloodaxe and his wife, Gunnhild.
Bloodaxe Series 2 is filming before viewers have even seen Series 1.
New Faces on the Longboat
Word from Prime Video is that three new actors will be joining the ever-expanding cast for Season 2, all in recurring roles. We’ve got Maddy Ambus (recognisable from The Return of Stanley Atwell and Utopia), Steven Brand (who you might recall menacing his way through Saw X and The Scorpion King), and Lasse Steen (recent work includes The Promised Land and What Lies Between Us).
If you keep an eye out during Season 1, you might spot Lasse Steen already — his character actually pops up before officially joining the main recurring cast in the follow-up run. One of those blink-and-you-miss-it setups, I reckon.
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Behind the Shield Wall
For those less obsessed with Viking lore: Bloodaxe is the brainchild of Michael and Horatio Hirst (yes, that Hirst — they’ve got Vikings in the blood by now). The series follows Xavier Molyneux as notorious Norseman Erik Bloodaxe and Jessica Madsen as the formidable Gunnhild, Mother of Kings. Historical high drama, inter-family scheming, and an impressive pile-up of betrayal are very much the order of the day as Erik and Gunnhild tussle for the Norwegian throne.
If you enjoy your period drama with a bit of complex Sword & Sorcery politics, you’ll also find a host of other schemers, not just from Scandinavia but also a heavyweight English monarch muscling into the action. So, not exactly a tale of quiet fjord life.
- Michael and Horatio Hirst: creators, writers, and executive producers
- Morgan O’Sullivan (O’Sullivan Productions): executive producer
- Steve Stark (Toluca Pictures): executive producer
- Arturo Interian, John Weber, Sheila Hockin: executive producers
The entire thing’s being produced by MGM Television, with the second run now shooting in Ireland. No confirmed release date yet for either season, but when it lands, Bloodaxe will be available on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories. They’re clearly hoping the Viking longboat floats far and wide.