The series Bloodaxe, an ambitious Viking drama from Prime Video created by Michael Hirst (of Vikings) in partnership with his son Horatio Hirst, is beginning to take form — and gain faces. Six new names have been confirmed, also shedding light on the narrative of the series, which will dive into the bloody battles for the Norwegian throne. It will feature characters inspired by historical figures, with an epic, mystical, and brutal tone.

Among the newly confirmed series regulars are Karlis Arnolds Avots (January), Rod Hallett (Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes), Alina Tomnikov (Donna), Sisse Marie (Rebel Moon), and Rune Temte (The Last Kingdom). Veteran actor Jesper Christensen (*007 – Spectre) joins in a recurring role.

Avots will play Egil, a character as fascinating as he is dangerous: a poet, farmer, assassin, sorcerer, seducer — and, between the lines, a psychopath. He seeks revenge against Erik Bloodaxe (played by Levi Miller) for exiling his family to Iceland — a decision made by Erik’s father, the feared King Harald Fairhair.

Hallett will portray Athelstan, the shrewd King of Wessex, a strategic warrior and natural manipulator. In the past, he forged a crucial alliance with King Fairhair involving the young Haakon, whom he’s been grooming as a successor — and a potential pawn to extend his influence beyond English lands.

One of the most intriguing roles is Greta / The Seeress, played by Tomnikov. Greta is an elite shield-maiden, a loyal warrior in Bloodaxe’s inner circle. But she harbors a supernatural secret: the ability to transform into an ancestral figure, the Seeress, with the gift of divining the future according to the will of the gods.

Sisse Marie plays Thyra, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Gorm, and mother of Gunnhild. Intelligent, resilient, and a master strategist, she will do whatever it takes to preserve her family’s grip on power.

Rune Temte portrays King Gorm, a cold and calculating man, far more cerebral than the impulsive warriors around him. His diplomatic yet brutal approach has made him a feared force in Scandinavia.

Finally, Christensen takes on the role of the mythical Harald Fairhair, the first unified king of Norway. Now old and fearful, he begins to suspect that his own sons may be plotting against him — including his favorite heir, Bloodaxe.

As previously announced, the cast also includes Jessica Madsen as Gunnhild, Bloodaxe’s wife known as “the Mother of Kings”, and Levi Miller as the young Haakon the Good, Erik’s half-brother.

Created, written, and helmed by Michael and Horatio Hirst, Bloodaxe promises to be a new Viking saga filled with epic battles, bloody betrayals, and Norse mysticism. The series follows Erik Bloodaxe and Gunnhild in their violent and passionate struggle for power in Norway, as unstable alliances with Danish kings — and even a powerful English ruler — threaten to plunge the kingdom into war.

Officially ordered in March, the series is a co-production between Prime Video and MGM Television (a division of Amazon MGM Studios). Filming begins later this summer, with locations in Ireland and Iceland. Michael and Horatio Hirst share showrunner and executive producer duties alongside Morgan O’Sullivan, Steve Stark, Arturo Interian, John Weber, Sheila Hockin, and Fred Toye.

Bloodaxe has barely begun, but it already hints at becoming the next obsession for Viking drama fans — and promises blood, sorcery, power games, and a gallery of intense characters ready to carve their names into the Norse television mythos.