At one level the back half of the 89 hours of History Channel’s Vikings series had two key components that kept viewers coming back week after week: the next scene always was completely and terrifically unpredictable, and each increase in stakes for your favorite character was just plain nail-biting. Like walking a tightrope, at any point every character–no matter how great or small–might get wiped away. Creator and writer Michael Hirst plucked cultural bits of Norse history and intertwined them with the written histories and mythology of historical figures to make something riveting, compelling, and permanent–the spirit of a historical saga that Viking descendants can be proud of, while also meeting the needs of fantasy viewers for the next swordplay action-adventure. Primarily a denouement for the long six season run, the final ten episodes have arrived on Amazon Prime, with History Channel to air them at a later date.
The reach of the Norse influence, the survival of the Lothbrok line, the direction of early England and Russia. It all intersects here. Does the end measure up to the rest of the series?
In July we discussed a great summer panel from virtual San Diego Comic-Con discussing the final ten episodes of History Channel’s Vikingsseries, following the first ten episodes released a year ago (check out our coverage of the panel here at borg if you missed it). The showrunner and cast of History’s Vikings, including showrunner and writer Michael Hirst and actors Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, and Clive Standen, who we saw at their first Comic-Con back in 2013, provided a brief preview of the final 10 of the season’s 20 episodes. Now those final episodes will hop networks to Amazon Prime, where they will all be available for binge-watching on December 30, followed later on their original network, History. Along with the news of the change in networks and streaming date is a new trailer–check it out below.
The showrunner and cast of History’s Vikings, including showrunner and writer Michael Hirst and actors Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, and Clive Standen, who we saw at their first Comic-Con back in 2013, invaded Comic-Con this weekend with a new preview for the last time. That’s a virtual invasion, because of course this year it’s San Diego Comic-Con@Home, but as panels go this was just as you’d see at any ordinary SDCC, but without the lines and squinting from the back of Hall H. Hirst and actors Fimmel, Winnick, and Standen were joined this year by actors Alex Ludwig and Jordan Patrick Smith, to discuss the fates of Fimmel and Winnick’s characters on past episodes, the six seasons of the series, and what’s next.
Two years ago I interviewed two stars of Vikingshere at borg.com just before the premiere of Season Two of the landmark series. It’s hard to believe a show this good, and as historically and culturally focused as Vikings is, has managed to survive this long. But it’s well-deserved–the drama and action rival any other series on television. The second half of Season Four is coming soon, and we’ve seen a first look at what’s to come courtesy of the History Channel at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend.
Swag available at this year’s SDCC booth for the series included a drinking horn and comic book from a story written by Michael Hirst. “The Bastard,” was written by Ralph Tedesco and drawn by Andrea Mutti.
Panelists from the series this year included key players Travis Fimmel (Ragnar), Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha), Clive Standen (Rollo), Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn), Gustaf Skarsgard (Floki) and Michael Hirst (writer/creator).
Check out this preview of part two of Season Four of Vikings, previewed this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con:
If your only exposure to Orcs is in the J.R.R. Tolkien Middle-earth stories, be prepared for a different look at this fantasy species in Christie Golden’s new novel Warcraft: Durotan, prequel to the upcoming Legendary Pictures Warcraft movie. We’ve reviewed many franchise tie-in novels over the years here at borg.com and plenty of prequels. Warcraft: Durotan is a surprisingly original novel, giving us a unique, sympathetic look at what you may otherwise only know as brainless, barbarian fantasy monsters.
Warcraft is of course the film adaptation of the megahit series of videogames. It opened this weekend internationally to some early box office success. Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code), director of the film and son of the late David Bowie, star of Labyrinth and fan of fantasy films, has said he previewed the film for his father, who was excited about the movie. We previewed the movie trailer earlier here at borg.com. It stars Vikings lead actor Travis Fimmel, along with Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu, Paula Patton, Dominic Cooper, and Ben Foster.
You don’t need to have any background with the video games to enjoy the prequel novel. It will be familiar to fans of the games, but deviates from the video game story. Some fans of the games will like it, some won’t. Durotan is the son of a chieftain of a clan of Orcs. When Durotan steps into the leadership role of his clan he must learn to balance the traditions of the past with the very survival of his clan. Warcraft: Durotan is a solid fantasy story, but it could easily be the story of an actual Native American tribe, a Viking or Highland clan, an Aztec tribe, ancient Spartans, a band of Mongols, or even a family in a Louis L’Amour Old West novel. Durotan’s trials are the trials of any leader whose people are plagued with crisis after crisis. Loyalty, bravery, sacrifice, tradition, mythology, and folklore all come into play.
If you’ve ever dreamed of what the Viking world had been like, if you could spend a week in the world of any of your favorite television shows, MGM and History Channel’s Vikings series should be at the top of your list. Nobody knows what it was like to live in any period of the past. We rely on histories passed orally and in writing. But it’s hard to imagine anyone getting so much more right than what the writers and art directors on Vikings have done. The fourth season opener, which premieres in two weeks, is a relentless volley of action, excitement, and gritty drama. After building conflicts, and the bloodiest most realistic battles on TV, it all comes together this season. We’ve previewed the first four episodes of the season and Vikings could be on its way to be the year’s best drama.
This season History Channel has also added four episodes to its initial 16 episode order. Beginning February 18, a new episode will air every Thursday for ten weeks with the remaining episodes to air later in the year. Season three culminated with the battle in Paris, where Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) was victorious but returned to Kattegat nearly dead, leaving the legendary scheming of those around him–his wife Queen Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) and his oldest son, Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig). Meanwhile the driven Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) develops a new relationship with her former lieutenant Kalf (Ben Robson), Rollo (Clive Standen) betrays all by remaining in France and the incredible character Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård) must answer for the death of the Christian priest Athelstan. And King Ecbert (Linus Roache) strategizes to defend Wessex from Ragnar.
New to the cast this year is Peter Franzén (The Gunman) as King Harold Finehair, a man who seeks to be King of Norway and a potential threat to Ragnar, Jasper Pääkkönen (Jet Trash) as Halfdan The Black, King Harold’s younger brother; and Dianne Doan (Descendants) as Yidu, a true newcomer to the world of the Vikings who fascinates both Ragnar and Aslaug.
Our annual “All the Movies You’ll Want to See…” series has been one of the most viewed of all of our entries at borg.com each year. So this year we again scoured Hollywood and its publicity machine for as many genre films coming out in 2016 as have been disclosed. Usually we select the 24 that look like the biggest hits, but we’re going all out for 2016. The result is a whopping 48 movies, many you’ll probably want to see in the theater or catch on video. We bet you’ll find a bunch below you’ve never heard of. Bookmark this now for your 2016 calendar!
Most coming out in the second half of 2016 don’t even have posters released yet, but many do. We’ve included descriptions and key cast so you can start planning accordingly.
What do we think will be the biggest hits of the year? How about Star Wars: Rogue One? Or Star Trek Beyond? You’ve heard endlessly about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but 2016 will also see Doctor Strange, Captain America: Civil War, and X-Men: Apocalypse. There’s even a handful of Westerns, with The Hateful 8, Jane Got a Gun, and another remake of The Magnificent Seven heading our way.
The Hateful Eight – January 1
Tarentino’s Western! Ennio Morricone score! Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Channing Tatum!
The 5th Wave – January 8
Chloe Grace Moretz and Liev Schreiber in an alien invasion.
400 Days – January 12
The CW’s Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz, and Tom Cavanaugh in a movie about astronauts that seems to be a play on Ender’s Game.
If you’re like us and you loved last year’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot (reviewed here) then you’ve gotta love that the Turtles are back again. Again co-starring Megan Fox, and new addition Stephen Amell as Casey Jones, a bunch of crazy classic characters like Bebop and Rocksteady, and a new version of Run DMC’s awesome tune “Tricky” to back it up? Count us in.
Second up today is the great Travis Fimmel, star of History’s Vikings series who we interviewed previously here at borg.com. Fimmel is starring in a tie-in to the video game Warcraft. He looks pretty good, as does the race of Orcs in this preview. Video game-based movies have surpassed their source material before (Tron!) so we have high hopes for this epic fantasy production, albeit clearly Lord of the Rings “light”.
Finally, we’ve already seen one trailer here at borg.com for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but this latest trailer isn’t as intriguing as the first. We loved Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer (reviewed here), the first from the writer of these monster mash classics that made it to the screen, and can’t wait for what’s up next. We hope this is as good, but this second trailer looks like it will be not much more than a non-stop slash’em up flick.
Check out the first trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out of the Shadows:
Last year I interviewed two stars of Vikingshere at borg.com just before the premiere of Season Two of the landmark series. It’s hard to believe a show this good, and as historically and culturally focused as Vikings has managed to survive this long when so many other good series get cut from the network and cable line-up. Season Four has been filmed and will premiere next year, but we have a first look at what’s to come.
Three new major players will enter the scene in Season Four: Peter Franzen(The Gunman), Jasper Paakkonen (Frozen Land, Secret Lives), and Dianne Doan (Once Upon a Time). Franzen plays Scandinavian King Harald Finehair, a threat to series lead Ragnar (Travis Fimmel). Paakkonen will play Halfdan the Black, Finehair’s younger brother. Doan will portray Yidu, a new Chinese character who, along with Ragnar’s growing sons, will have a big role in the next season, which skips ahead a few years after the events in last season’s stunning finale.
Historians also know the role Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) is destined to have in the series. How the series writers reveal her role, the fate of Ragnar, and the subplot with Alyssa Sutherland’s Aslaug, is plenty reason to watch this coming season.
Expect more Viking intrigue and action, more Viking drama, and a realistic historical look at Viking life in Season Two of Vikings, premiering tonight at 9 p.m. Central/10 p.m. Eastern on the History Channel. The series introduces new characters and shakes up the very fabric of the universe centered on the legendary Ragnar Lodbrok. Based on Viking sagas and characters from Norse mythology, Vikings is a series filled with both political posturing, hand to hand combat, giant sailing vessels, and a realistic look at the Viking world.
Last week I interviewed series lead Travis Fimmel, who plays Ragnar, and series newcomer Alyssa Sutherland, who has a key role in Season Two as Aslaug, a princess who drives a wedge between Ragnar and his family.
Fimmel sees his role as the Viking warrior as the best project he has yet taken on. “It’s definitely my favorite. It has a lot to do with Michael Hurst, who created [Vikings].” He credits his positive experiences on Vikings to the crew for the show. “The Irish people do a tremendous job. They’re very talented and very efficient and really make the best of the budget we have.”
The series is filmed an hour south of Dublin, Ireland. During filming Fimmel lived in the country on a lake near one of the Vikings sets. Although he plays the leader of the Viking tribe, he sees himself as just one of the crew off the set. “I don’t let them treat me any differently–We all make fun of each other… We all get on very well.”
As you’d expect, filming the epic Viking longboat scenes is as much fun as it appears. “We had a lot of tremendous fun on the boats. This year we go out on the ocean–and it’s just beautiful. Beautiful landscape. The boat stuff’s really enjoyable.”
Fimmel confirmed that full-scale longboats are used for the series, created based on historical research, and not just filming models or CGI creations. “They’re made to scale. They definitely float and definitely work and definitely sail.”
Alyssa Sutherland, who was introduced in the last episode of Season One as a temptress of sorts for Ragnar, portrays a princess from Norse mythology who played a pivotal role in the legend of Ragnar. Sutherland also gets some scenes on the Viking longboats in Season Two. “This season I got a bit of boat time, she said. “We were really lucky. It was this gorgeous day. The perfect day to be out in the boat in the islands. You really do feel a part of it.”
As the daughter of Sigurd and the shield-maiden Brynhildr, Sutherland’s character Aslaug is decked-out in beautiful, historically drawn ninth century costumes.
Sutherland said it was a treat to be able to work with the talented Vikings costume designer, Emmy Award winner Joan Bergin. “Right at the beginning of the season when I went in for my first fitting, before I went in to see her I knew [the costumes] were going to be stunning… She just knocked my expectations right out of the park. It was fabulous.”
The authentic costumes help inform Sutherland’s character and performance. “Working in these costumes–it’s so much easier to get into character when you have something on you that makes you feel so much a part of it… Costumes are a really important part of your character and feeling you really are that person… They really are gorgeous.”
Working on the set of Vikings brought some authenticity to the experience for Sutherland, and that authenticity helped her to portray the character of Aslaug. “Everything–every detail, from the sets, the costumes, the hair and the make up, the props… Absolutely everything has so much detail in it. I’ve been on other sets and it feels a little bit like a set.”
She says with the Vikings series, it’s a different experience. “Everything is so realistic. It’s really hard to describe unless someone sees it. It just makes being in character and being a part of the story so much easier for an actor.”
Catch the Season Two premiere of Vikings tonight at 9 p.m. Central/10 p.m. Eastern on the History Channel.
