Creator Jeb Stuart is pushing ahead with the production of Vikings: Valhalla at record speed. Having already filmed the second season, the showrunner is now busy laying the groundwork for season three in earnest, leading many fans to wonder just how long the show will run. Well, according to David Oakes, who portrays Earl Godwin in the series, the producers have planned a five-season story arc for the spinoff series.
In a recent chat with the crew, Decider asked Oakes about what’s in store for his character in the upcoming seasons. Here’s what the English actor had to say on the matter.
“[Godwin] doesn’t have an ultimate goal for season 1. He has an ultimate goal for all the five seasons that Jeb has in his mind. I most certainly don’t think is that Godwin is just a survivor at all costs. He is slow and he is patient and he is a wonderful developing narrative that he is waiting to see how the world unfolds.”
The first season premiered a few days ago to sizzling reviews from critics, who praised the spinoff’s ambitious narrative and epic battles. The story mostly revolves around King Canute’s invasion of England a hundred years after the events of the original series, ending with the sunset of the Viking Age in Europe, marked by King Harold Godwinson’s defeat of the Danish invaders in the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066.
The series will supposedly depict the battle in its final season, which is historically succeeded by the immediate Norman invasion of England at the hands of William the Conqueror.
Suffice it to say, Vikings: Valhalla will truly serve as a swansong to the Viking culture that we’ve all come to know and love.