Meet The Cast Of Vikings: Valhalla

Vikings, the groundbreaking historic drama that helped launch History's foray into scripted TV, came to an end in the final days of 2020, when the last batch of episodes dropped on Amazon Prime Video. If you're a fan of the series, there's no doubt you have a big, battle-axe-shaped hole in your heart now that it's over, no matter what you thought of how the show ended. Thankfully, you won't be away from the world of Vikings for too much longer, as a sequel series entitled Vikings: Valhalla is on its way to Netflix. 

Set over a hundred years after the end of the original series, Vikings: Valhalla will follow an entirely new cast of characters as they battle, explore, and conspire against each other in the tumultuous Middle Ages of Europe and beyond. While the original series focused on the very beginning of the Viking age, Valhalla will take a look at the Norse after they've already established themselves as powerful rulers and explorers of far-away lands. The old characters may now be long dead, but the younger generation has risen up to take their place.

As we await the imminent release of Vikings: Valhalla – which will likely be sometime in 2021 or 2022, according to Deadline – we now know who will be playing the fearsome Viking adventurers and conniving European royalty that will populate the world of the series. Via the NX on Netflix Twitter account, the streamer just dropped a massive casting announcement, complete with character information. Here's who's who in the cast of Vikings: Valhalla.

Vikings: Valhalla could have easily been called Vikings: The Next Generation, as many of the central characters sound poised to deal with similar struggles as their forefathers and mothers. This new group of adventurers, warlords, and Jarls (local leaders) will, according to Netflix's statement about the cast, "[blaze] a path through a world in the throes of violent change."

At the heart of the action are Leif Eriksson and Freydís Eiríksdóttir. Although Netflix doesn't explicitly state the relationship of these characters, their historical counterparts were both children of the legendary Norse explorer Erik the Red (via Smithsonian Magazine). Sam Corlett — who played Caliban, the Prince of Hell, on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – will portray Leif, while Swedish actor Frida Gustavsson, who has appeared on The Witcher, will play Freydís. (Both actors are shown in the photo above.)

While Netflix describes Leif as a Greenlander and an outsider to the conflicts brewing across Europe, Freydís is noted as being "a staunch believer in the 'old gods.'" This may put her in conflict with devout Christian and imposing Viking warrior Olaf Haraldson, played in Valhalla by Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom actor Jóhannes Jóhannesson. She could even face off against Jarl Kåre, who's described as presenting "a threat to the old pagan ways." On the upcoming show, he'll be played by Danish actor Asbjørn Krogh Nissen, known for appearing in TV dramas.

Another Jarl viewers will meet in Vikings: Valhalla is the latest leader of Kattegat: the benevolent Jarl Haakon, played by Swedish-Danish musician and actor Caroline Henderson. Rounding out the cast of Viking adventurers and leaders is Leo Suter, who has appeared in British historical drama series like Beecham House and Sanditon. He will play Harald Sigurdsson, noted to be one of the last of the ferocious class of Viking warriors known as the berserkers.

Just as we saw with the original series, Vikings: Valhalla will introduce viewers to members of the European nobility who also are trying to navigate the turbulent political climate of the day.

One of the most important of these leaders is King Canute, who appears to be inspired by the real leader Canute the Great, who ruled Denmark, Norway, and England during his reign as one of the most powerful people in all of Europe (via Encyclopædia Britannica). Welsh actor Bradley Freegard — known for starring in TV thrillers from across the pond, such as Keeping Faith and Hinterland – will play the good king.

Pollyanna McIntosh (shown above) will play Canute's partner, the "calculating and ambitious" Queen Ælfgifu. The Walking Dead fans know McIntosh as the mysterious Anne, aka Jadis, aka the woman who loaded Rick Grimes into a CRM helicopter at the end of his run on the show. Another powerful noble woman, Emma of Normandy, will be played by prolific German TV actress Laura Berlin.

And finally, although he's not a ruler himself, Earl Godwin is teased as not only an important advisor to the King of England, but also "the ultimate survivor." He'll be played by David Oakes (also shown above), whom you may have seen on historical dramas like Victoria, The White Queen, and Showtime's The Borgias.

That is quite the impressive assemblage of actors. You can catch them in action when Vikings: Valhalla premieres on Netflix.