Netflix releases the first official image from The Last Kingdom season 3!

We here at Winter Is Coming are big fans of The Last Kingdom, Netflix’s adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories, a medieval tale of warring factions that gives us serious Game of Thrones vibes. The show’s official Twitter page has dropped the first peek at its highly anticipated third season. It’s an image of the lead character, Uhtred of Bebbanburg (played by the high-energy and charismatic Alexander Dreymon) on horseback and ready for action:

As usual, fans are hunting through this image for clues about what’s to come. For where I sit, there’s at least one element worth mentioning: the Saxon-born Uhtred now sports the hairstyle and armor of a Viking, a side of his heritage he has thus far not embraced. It fits with what happened in season 2, where Uhtred headed north to spend the winter (notice the snow in the photo) with his Dane brother, Ragnar (Tobias Santelmann).

Express reports that season 3 will have 10 episodes, two more than in seasons 1 and 2, which is excellent news. We can reasonably expect Ragnar, who hasn’t spent much time onscreen so far, to have an expanded role.

The Last Kingdom has stayed pretty faithful to the source material. Season 1 covers books 1 and 2 (The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman) while season 2 covers books 3 and 4 (The Lords of the North and Sword Song). If season 3 follows suit and covers books 5 and 6 (The Burning Land and Death of Kings), the characters are in for some major upheavals.

There’s no firm release date as of yet, but The Last Kingdom season 3 is expected to air on Netflix sometime later this year. The show features a perfect mix of grit, action and powerful storytelling to get Thrones fan through the winter while they wait for season 8. We’ll be watching and reviewing the season when it drops!

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