Bloodaxe, a Prime Video drama from Vikings creator Michael Hirst and his son Horatio, follows the 10th-century figure Eric Haraldsson, also known as Eric Bloodaxe. After an early screening at New York Comic Con 2026, the series looks like it could deliver a Game of Thrones-scale power struggle, or at least a good watch for Vikings fans. All eight episodes premiere January 20, 2027.
Eric, played by Xavier Molyneux, is already a powerful warrior and a popular figure when the story opens. His father, King Harald (Jesper Christensen), is losing his hold on the Norwegian kingdom he spent his life bringing together. Eric expects to succeed him, but Harald names his younger son Haakon (Levi Miller), who grew up in England learning diplomacy.
Eric’s wife, Gunnhild (Jessica Madsen of Bridgerton), has plans to secure the throne for her husband. Her exiled brother Egil (Kārlis Arnolds Avots), meanwhile, is pursuing power from Iceland. That’s a lot to set up in the first hour, but Michael and Horatio Hirst get you into the rivalries fast.
The opening packs in political intrigue, shocking deaths, detailed production design, an attractive cast and sex scenes. Ireland stands in for much of Norway, with rugged Scandinavian mountains added digitally. Egil’s scenes were filmed in Iceland, where geothermal pools and glaciers make for striking landscapes that would be hard to fake.
Molyneux could pass for a Hemsworth brother. Before this role, he was a contestant on Australian Big Brother. Miller, for his part, bears a strong resemblance to Kit Harington’s Jon Snow. The production built life-sized boats and sprawling sets.
The story itself turns grim. Palace intrigue drives the plot, but the characters’ morals and ethics feel alien by modern standards. Several factions are competing for power and preparing for civil war, a setup that recalls Game of Thrones. Prophecies and witchy rituals add to the conflict between Viking paganism, with its Norse gods, and the spread of Catholic monotheism.
There’s a historical wrinkle, too: Vikings were arguably more progressive than Catholics for their time, with an egalitarian society that treated men and women equally. The writers draw on historical accounts recorded by Icelandic clerics and scholars several hundred years after the events.
Because Eric’s story is based on history, viewers can look up what happens to him and the other characters. Still, watching events unfold may be more fun than reading ahead. Season 2 is already in production.
If the showrunners get to tell a complete story, Bloodaxe has one advantage over Game of Thrones: history fixed its ending more than a thousand years ago. Michael and Horatio Hirst have a known destination, even if the route there is full of schemes and shifting loyalties.
