The Last Kingdom is a historical fiction television series based on Bernard Cornwell’s novel series, The Saxon Stories. The show, developed by Stephen Butchard, premiered on the BBC in 2015 and was well received by fans. The series was acquired by Netflix in 2018 and went on to last a total of five seasons. The Last Kingdom joins the growing list of shows (Peaky Blinders and Breaking Bad) ending their series with a movie.
This article contains spoilers for The Last Kingdom
In The Last Kingdom, “Destiny Is All”
Netflix
The Last Kingdom tells the story of the Viking-raised Saxon, Uthred (Alexander Dreymon), and his quest to reclaim his birthright, Bebbanburg (modern-day Bamburgh, England). The series depicts events that were occurring during the medieval England era that was also touched upon in the History Channel series Vikings when they raided the country over 100 years earlier. The Last Kingdom takes place around 866 AD during Danelaw, a time when the Vikings had legal settlements in England and the laws of the Danes superseded the Anglo-Saxons; as such, it’s an excellent representation of the Vikings during that time.
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Each season was a condensed adaptation of two books from Cornwell’s series with the first season adapting The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman, which covers the years 866 AD - 878 AD. The first two seasons were well received with fans loving the battle scenes and the growing love-hate relationship between our hero, Uthred, and the King of the Saxons, Alfred (David Dawson, star of My Policeman with Harry Styles). With Netflix stepping in at season three, the fan base only grew with the increased visibility of the streaming service. But the storyline and the introductions of characters like Finan (Mark Rowley) and Sihtric (Arnas Fedaravičius) who quickly became fan favorites with their comedic relief, kept fans begging for more.
Bebbanburg At Last
Season five aired on March 9, 2022, and opened with one of the best Viking scenes to date, which included the haunting Nordic melody of Faroese singer Eivør, who is also the singer on The Last Kingdom’s intro. Season five brought back some of our favorite characters and began to tie up a lot of the loose ends from previous seasons. While characters like Ælswith (Eliza Butterworth) and Hild (Eva Birthistle) completed great character arcs.
The Last Kingdom continued on with its streak of comedic moments mixed in with chaotic drama and great battle scenes. This season also brought the death of a lot of great characters like Osferth (Ewan Mitchell) and Brida (Emily Cox). The death of Brida, the main antagonist for the past two seasons, brought the end to a major storyline, something which left fans wondering what would play out in the movie. The other major storyline to come to a close was the quest for Bebbanburg as Uthred finally achieves his destiny and is reunited with his children Stiorra (Ruby Hartley) and Young Uthred (Finn Elliott). It was interesting to see this come to a close before the movie, as it was the whole plot of the show. Without the need for Bebbanburg, what is Uthred’s goal?
What We Want To See In Seven Kings Must Die
Although a lot of storylines came to an end this season, some were blown wide open. With Uthred finally achieving his destiny of Bebbanburg, it begs the question — what next? Where do Uthred and his merry band of misfits go from here? Well, the answer is quite simple: they defend Bebbanburg.
At the end of The Last Kingdom we saw Uthred, now Lord of Bebbanburg, choose to join neither Scotland nor England, instead choosing to stay as a separate entity. This enrages King Edward (Timothy Innes) who was determined to complete his father’s dream of a unified England. So fans can guarantee the main drama will be between Edward and Uthred, who last met during an incredible battle at the cliffs of Bebbanburg. We also know that Edward will be a very changed character with the death of his most trusted advisor, Æthelhelm (Adrian Schiller), his wife Ælfflæd (Amelia Clarkson), and his legitimate heir now in the hands of the Scottish, thanks to his most trusted advisor.
Another storyline we can expect to see is how Stiorra (Ruby Hartley) deals with the death of her husband and the loss of her kingdom at the hands of Brida. With Jórvík (Modern-day Yorkshire) now in the hands of England, it will be interesting to see what she will do to win it back and whether her father, Uthred, will help her reach her goal.
We also can expect a new love interest for Uthred now that Æthelflæd (Millie Brady) has died. Considering the way season five left off with Eadith (Stefanie Martini), there definitely is the potential to see Uthred and Eadith together during The Last Kingdom movie, Seven Kings Must Die.
With some of the best cinematography in television and fantastic battle scenes that rival Vikings and Game of Thrones, it is no surprise that the feature-length film continues to be highly anticipated. Fans should not have to wait much longer, as Seven Kings Much Die has reportedly finished filming in Budapest, Hungary, which could lead to a potential release date in early 2023. But as of now, no news has been released on when the new film will premiere.
