The Last Kingdom officially renewed for season 5 on Netflix!

Brace yourselves, arselings: The Last Kingdom, based on the Saxon Stories novels by Bernard Cornwell, has officially been renewed for a fifth season on Netflix!

Hear the good news below, as Alexander Dreymon (Uhtred) shares the announcement with his fellow cast members. And if that’s not enough, we’ve got a plot outline after the video!

Season 4 saw Uhtred suffer some massive personal losses before rebounding at season’s end. We lost a lot of characters, including some we might not know about yet. Ælswith was in a precarious position at the end of season 4, and while star Eliza Butterworth is in the video above, she wasn’t sure what the future held for her character. “I have a feeling I might not be [alive].”

What might Uhtred of Bebbanburg get up to in season 5? Netflix gave us some tantalizing hints in the official plot description:

"Based on books nine and ten – The Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer – the fifth installment will see Uhtred realize his destiny is more than just Bebbanburg: it is tied to the future of England itself. Charged with training King Edward’s first-born son Aethelstan as a warrior, Uhtred’s ambition will have an even higher purpose. But to achieve this destiny, Uhtred will have to face down his greatest enemy and suffer his greatest loss."

More than just Bebbanburg? We’d still like to see Uhtred reclaim his ancestral home at some point, so hopefully that’s still on the table, but it’s good to expand your horizons. As for suffering his “greatest loss,” book-readers might have an idea of what that means, but we’ll keep our misery to ourselves.

Hollywood has been all but shut down for a while thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, but studios are slowly getting back to business. Still, it makes sense that it took longer to get confirmation of season 5 than it did for season 4. Executive producer Nigel Merchant makes it sound as if the series’ return was never in doubt. “We are really proud of The Last Kingdom, which continues to entertain audiences all over the world,” he said. “We had such a tremendous response to the last season, so are thrilled to be bringing it back for season 5 on Netflix. With such a loyal fanbase, we’re excited to give viewers a chance to follow Uhtred on the next stage of his quest.”

Count us among that loyal fanbase!

Season 5, which will consist of ten episodes, will be written by Martha Hillier and executive produced by Gareth Neame, Nigel Marchant and Jessica Pope. No release date has been announced as of yet, although we’re told an official filming date as been scheduled!

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