Filming delayed on Vikings spin-off Vikings: Valhalla

Last year officially marked the end of Vikings, Michael Hirst’s long-running saga chronicling the life of Norse legend Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons proved. It proved to be one of the most beloved historical dramas on television, spanning six seasons. Now, Netflix is hard at work on spin-off series Vikings: Valhalla, which takes place a century later. The show seems to be coming along nicely with a great cast featuring veterans from Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and The Witcher. However, according to reports, it recently hit a big roadblock.

BreakingNews.ie reports that filming on Vikings: Valhalla has been delayed by two months. The Irish publication has a close eye on the spin-off, which started filming in Ireland last year. According to the report, more scenes were meant to begin filming this month in Ashford, Wicklow. The reason behind the delay likely something to do with the strict coronavirus lockdown restrictions in place in Ireland, although that’s unconfirmed. Over the last year, lockdowns have caused delays on many film and TV sets, although things are generally getting rolling again.

Vikings creator Michael Hirst talked to Collider about the new show a couple months back. “They’ve shot the first season in Ireland, back at the same studio in remarkable circumstances,” he said. “They had like 30 COVID workers. They took over a big hotel so they could quarantine all the actors. They tested them twice a day. It was a remarkable achievement.” If the bulk of the first season has already been shot, this delay likely involves reshoots.

What is Vikings: Valhalla about?

Vikings: Valhalla is set 100 years after the events of Vikings season 6. It will tell the tales of other legendary figures from that period. The cast features Sam Corlett as Leif Eriksson, Frida Gustavsson as Freydis Eriksdotter, Leo Suter as Harald Sigurddson, Bradley Freegard as King Canute, Johannes Johannesson as Olaf Haraldson, Pollyanna McIntosh as Queen Aelfgifu, and David Oakes as Earl Godwin

If you haven’t seen Vikings, Michael Hirst assures you that you can pick up the spin-off without any problems. “[Y]ou don’t need to know who Ragnar is to watch the new show,” he said. “But it enriches the show and it hopefully will make people go back and find out.”

Vikings: Valhalla is written by Jeb Stuart  (The Fugitive, Die Hard) with Hirst on board as an executive producer. Vikings: Valhalla doesn’t have a release date yet, but fingers crossed we get to see it on Netflix sometime this year.

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h/t Metro