Bloodaxe, Prime Video’s forthcoming Norse historical drama, will premiere all eight episodes exclusively on January 20, 2027. A new teaser was unveiled during a New York Comic Con panel attended by showrunners Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst alongside cast members Xavier Molyneux, Jessica Madsen and Levi Miller.
The series centers on Erik Bloodaxe, played by Molyneux, and his wife Gunnhild, played by Madsen. Season 1 follows the pair’s rise as they pursue the Norwegian throne, a conflict that pulls competing Scandinavian rulers and an English king into a widening political and military struggle.
That gives the show a notably larger canvas than a simple warrior biography. Erik and Gunnhild are positioned as the central partnership, but the dramatic engine is a fractured kingdom: rival claims, fragile loyalties and betrayals pushing Norway toward war. The teaser’s arrival establishes the series’ broad premise, while the full eight-episode season will determine how much room it gives its wider group of kings, raiders and political opponents.
A Norse power struggle at the center
The key idea behind Bloodaxe is succession. Put plainly, succession is the question of who has the legitimate right to rule when power is disputed. It is a useful framework for the show’s stated story because it makes every alliance consequential. A character’s loyalty is not merely personal; it can alter the balance of a kingdom, provoke a rival ruler or set a war in motion.
Erik is described as one of history’s notable Norse raiders, but the series’ premise does not limit him to that identity. The conflict is explicitly about a throne. That distinction matters: raiding and ruling create different dramatic pressures. A raid is an outward act against an enemy, while a contested crown requires control at home, negotiation with allies and the ability to survive betrayal from people who are supposed to be on the same side.
Gunnhild is likewise not presented as a peripheral figure in Erik’s story. The official setup identifies Erik and Gunnhild as a formidable duo fighting for Norway. That wording suggests the series will treat their relationship as an important part of its political story, rather than simply an emotional subplot around battlefield events.
The story also expands beyond Norway. Other Scandinavian kings and an English king are said to become involved as tensions escalate. This gives the show an international dimension without requiring it to abandon its central conflict: the struggle for Norway’s leadership is the event that draws those other powers into the chaos.
How it connects to the earlier Norse television dramas
Michael Hirst’s involvement provides an obvious historical connection to Vikings and its follow-up, Vikings: Valhalla. Vikings ran from 2013 to 2021, while Vikings: Valhalla ran for three seasons from 2022 through 2024. Bloodaxe is set in the 10th century, placing it chronologically between those two previous television projects.
That placement is important context, but it should not be mistaken for confirmation of a direct continuation or crossover. The available details establish a historical relationship and a shared creative figure, not a promise that characters, plotlines or continuity mechanics will transfer from one production to another. For viewers, the practical takeaway is simpler: Bloodaxe occupies a familiar broad era of Norse history while concentrating on a different lead figure and a distinct contest for power.
It is also an opportunity for the series to use a period setting in a focused way. The supplied premise identifies Norway, Scandinavian rivals and an English king, then puts Erik and Gunnhild’s ambitions at the center. Those elements offer a clear political map even before individual rivals are named. The stakes are not abstract: whoever gains or loses the throne changes the alliances around them.
The cast announced for Season 1
Molyneux leads the drama as Erik Bloodaxe, with Madsen as Gunnhild. Miller appeared at the teaser’s Comic Con presentation, though no character information is included in the currently available details.
The Season 1 ensemble also includes:
- Karlis Arnolds Avots
- Rod Hallett
- Alina Tomnikov
- Sisse Marie
- Rune Temte
- Jesper Christensen
Specific roles for these additional cast members have not been outlined in the available information. Given the show’s emphasis on competing loyalties and multiple rulers, the size of the announced ensemble fits a drama built around more than one court, faction or family. That remains an inference from the premise, however, rather than a confirmed description of any performer’s role.
Eight episodes, with another season already underway
The first season will be released as an eight-episode drop rather than a weekly rollout. For audiences, that means the first chapter of Erik and Gunnhild’s campaign can be watched as one complete release on January 20.
Prime Video has already ordered a second season, which is currently in production in Ireland. An early renewal does not reveal where Season 1 ends or who will return, but it does mean the drama’s central political conflict is being developed beyond its initial eight episodes.
That longer runway may be particularly useful for a story driven by changing allegiances. In political historical drama, the major tension often comes not only from who wins a confrontation, but from how allegiances shift before and after it. A second season gives the production room to continue exploring the aftermath of the first campaign rather than treating the inaugural batch as a closed, one-and-done account.
The creative team behind ‘Bloodaxe’
Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst are the series’ writers and executive producers. Morgan O’Sullivan executive produces through O’Sullivan Productions, while Steve Stark executive produces through Toluca Pictures. Arturo Interian, John Weber and Sheila Hockin are also executive producers. MGM Television is producing the series.
“Executive producer” is a senior production credit that can cover creative, strategic and organizational responsibilities. The exact division of those responsibilities is not detailed here. What is confirmed is that Michael and Horatio Hirst hold both writing and executive-producing roles, making them central to the show’s creative leadership.
The new trailer is the first substantial promotional marker attached to the January 2027 release date. It frames Bloodaxe around warfare, dynastic pressure and an embattled partnership seeking power in Norway, while the confirmed second season indicates that this Norse saga is meant to extend beyond its first battle for the crown.
For more on current screen-industry developments, see our coverage of Black Bear taking domestic rights to Rebecca Ferguson’s Honeymoon / Funeral.
