Prime Video has offered its first look at Bloodaxe, an upcoming original drama that puts a fight for the Norse throne at the center of its story. The eight-episode first season is expected to arrive in 2027, although no official premiere date has been announced.
The series follows Erik Bloodaxe, played by Xavier Molyneux, and his wife Gunnhild, Mother of Kings, played by Jessica Madsen. Their ascent is framed not as a straightforward victory march, but as a struggle shaped by rival rulers, betrayals and the instability of war. That premise positions the couple as partners in a dynastic conflict while leaving plenty of room for the competing interests around them to drive the plot.
First-look images spotlight Molyneux as Erik, Madsen as Gunnhild, and a scene pairing Molyneux with Alina Tomnikov, who plays Greta. Beyond establishing the show’s principal faces, the images give viewers an early indication that the drama’s personal relationships will sit alongside its larger political and military stakes.
A new Norse saga from Michael and Horatio Hirst
Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst are the showrunners, writers and executive producers of Bloodaxe. Michael Hirst is also known as the creator of Vikings, making Bloodaxe a new Norse-focused project from a creative figure closely associated with television historical drama.
That connection offers useful context, but it should not be mistaken for a statement that the new series is a continuation of any earlier show. The information available describes Bloodaxe as its own original series, built around Erik and Gunnhild’s bid for power. For audiences, the meaningful overlap is the storytelling territory: leadership, shifting loyalties, conflict between rulers and the consequences of ruling amid disorder.
“Showrunner” is an industry term for the senior creative leader or leaders responsible for guiding a television series. The role commonly includes overseeing the writing and maintaining the show’s overall creative direction. In this case, Michael and Horatio Hirst also hold writing and executive-producer credits, placing them at the heart of the series’ creative leadership.
Morgan O’Sullivan executive produces through O’Sullivan Productions. Steve Stark is an executive producer through Toluca Pictures, while Arturo Interian, John Weber and Sheila Hockin also serve as executive producers. An executive producer credit can cover a range of senior responsibilities depending on a production, but it generally signals high-level involvement in bringing and managing a series.
Erik and Gunnhild are the story’s central alliance
Bloodaxe presents Erik as one of the best-known Norse raiders and Gunnhild as a formidable political presence in her own right. The “Mother of Kings” title attached to Gunnhild is part of how the series introduces her, immediately giving the character a dynastic dimension rather than treating her merely as an accessory to Erik’s campaign.
Related coverage includes Prime Video Reveals Bloodaxe First Look, Sets 2027 Target.
The key dramatic engine is the couple’s attempt to take the throne while the country fractures around them. Rivalries and betrayals are not background decoration in that setup; they are the obstacles that turn a claim to power into a sustained serialized conflict. The show’s stated emphasis on war, chaos and other kings suggests that victory will depend on more than battlefield strength. Alliances, credibility and the survival of personal relationships can matter just as much when multiple figures believe they have a right to rule.
For viewers considering what kind of historical drama this may be, “Norse saga” here describes the show’s broad setting and scale, not a promise of documentary-style history. The available details establish a dramatic series about historical figures and a contest for leadership. They do not yet establish how closely individual events, costumes, locations or characters will follow any specific historical account. That distinction is worth keeping in mind as promotional material rolls out: a historical setting can provide the framework for drama without making every scene a factual reconstruction.
Cast includes established genre and drama performers
Alongside Molyneux and Madsen, the Season 1 ensemble includes Karlis Arnolds Avots, Levi Miller, Rod Hallett, Alina Tomnikov, Sisse Marie, Rune Temte and Jesper Christensen. The announced material identifies Tomnikov’s character as Greta; no additional character details for the rest of the ensemble have been specified.
Molyneux previously appeared in Neighbors, while Madsen is known from Bridgerton. The supporting cast’s cited credits include Kill Jackie, Kraven the Hunter, Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes, Donna, Rebel Moon, Eddie the Eagle and Spectre. Those credits signal a group assembled from performers with experience across television and film, but the first-look material deliberately keeps the immediate attention on Erik, Gunnhild and the conflict surrounding their rise.
The show’s early imagery therefore functions less as a complete guide to the cast’s eventual roles and more as an introduction to its central triangle of power, partnership and uncertainty. Greta’s presence beside Erik is especially notable because it places a third named character in the initial promotional spotlight, though the nature of her relationship to Erik and Gunnhild has not been disclosed.
Season 2 is already underway
The most substantial indication of Prime Video’s confidence in Bloodaxe is that the series has already received a second-season pickup. Season 2 is currently in production in Ireland, even as the first season remains without a firm release date.
That matters because it gives the story room to develop beyond an eight-episode introduction. It does not reveal where Season 1 ends, which characters return, or when the second season may arrive. It does mean, however, that the first run is not being positioned solely as a self-contained gamble whose future hinges on a post-release decision.
For audiences, the practical takeaway is simple: expect eight episodes on Prime Video for the first season, with a 2027 target rather than a confirmed date. Until the platform provides a trailer, episode schedule or more detailed character information, specifics about the show’s action, historical interpretation and eventual plot turns remain unconfirmed.
Bloodaxe also arrives at a time when screen projects continue to move between different entertainment spaces, a trend explored in Joking Joystick’s look at the creative questions facing game-to-film and TV adaptations. This is not an adaptation story, but it highlights a similar reality for streaming audiences: a recognizable genre or creative pedigree can create interest early, while the finished series still has to establish its own identity.
What has been confirmed — and what has not
- Confirmed: Bloodaxe is an eight-episode Prime Video original series.
- Confirmed: Xavier Molyneux plays Erik Bloodaxe and Jessica Madsen plays Gunnhild, Mother of Kings.
- Confirmed: Season 1 concerns the couple’s pursuit of the Norse throne amid rivalry, betrayal and conflict.
- Confirmed: Michael and Horatio Hirst are showrunners, writers and executive producers.
- Confirmed: A second season has been ordered and is in production in Ireland.
- Not yet confirmed: A precise Season 1 release date in 2027.
- Not yet confirmed: An episode-by-episode release plan, a trailer, or detailed roles for most of the supporting cast.
For now, the first-look release does its job: it gives Bloodaxe a face, a pair of central protagonists and a clearly defined battlefield of political ambition. The rest of the campaign will have to wait for Prime Video’s next reveal.
