Fans were crestfallen when they heard that the upcoming fifth season of The Last Kingdom, Netflix’s excellent but consistently-under-the-radar medieval drama, would be its last. That’s in part because it’s hard to see how just one more season could finish the story told in the source material: Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories. So far, Netflix has adapted Cornwell’s books at a rate of two per season, which will leave a few unaccounted for after season 5.
Happily, producer Nigel Merchant just revealed at London MCM Comic Con that while season 5 will “fully concludes the series…there was always one more story that we wanted to tell.” According to Deadline, Netflix will also make a Last Kingdom movie called Seven Kings Must Die, which will start filming slightly before season 5 drops next year.
Alexander Dreymon, who plays lead character Uhtred of Bebbanburg, was also at the con. “It’s been such a privilege to tell Uhtred’s story for five seasons,” he said. “I’m so grateful to our fans. They have been immensely loyal to The Last Kingdom and thanks to their support, the team is getting together for another round.”
The Last Kingdom movie is coming
Naturally, Uhtred will appear in Seven Kings Must Die, along with several other regular cast members and some new faces. In Cornwell’s books, Uhtred gets older as the series goes along, and the final book has him as an old man. If Dreymon isn’t buried under layers of old man makeup and wearing a crusty white wig I will be disappointed.
The Last Kingdom has been going strong for years, but never got the attention of something like Vikings, which is set during the same period. And that’s a shame, because it’s been consistently solid. Good on Netflix for wrapping it up right.
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