The Last Kingdom – Copyright Carnival Film & Television
With the end of The Last Kingdom on Netflix, the epic finale to the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg will be told through the movie, Seven Kings Must Die. Coming to Netflix in April 2023, here’s everything we know so far about Seven Kings Must Die on Netflix.
Seven Kings Must Die is an upcoming Netflix Original fictional-historical drama movie, and sequel to The Last Kingdom television series. The film continues the adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s incredible Saxon Stories novels.
Netflix picked up The Last Kingdom from the BBC after the latter canceled the show after two seasons. The streaming service had already been working with the BBC on the show, as outside of the UK, The Last Kingdom was already distributed as a Netflix Original. Three further incredible seasons were produced, and with the film on the way in the near future, we’ll get to see a dramatic and epic conclusion to the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
Season 5 of The Last Kingdom arrived on Netflix on March 9th, 2022.
When is the Netflix release date for Seven Kings Must Die?
It has been revealed that Seven Kings Must Die will be released on Netflix on April 14th, 2023.
A trailer for the movie has yet to be released, but we expect to see one extremely soon.
Seven Kings Must Die – Copyright Carnival Film & Television
Seven Kings Must Die – Copyright Carnival Film & Television
Seven Kings Must Die – Copyright Carnival Film & Television
Seven Kings Must Die – Copyright Carnival Film & Television
Who’s behind Seven Kings Must Die?
British director Ed Bazalgette will be directing the movie as confirmed by a clapper. Bazalgette is no stranger to The Last Kingdom having directed episodes in seasons 3 and 4 (he served as an executive producer for the fourth season too).
Beyond The Last Kingdom, Bazalgette has worked on Poldark, Doctor Who, Versailles, and Netflix’s The Witcher.
What is the plot of Seven Kings Must Die?
A synopsis for Seven Kings Must Die hasn’t been revealed as of yet, however, we can expect the following:
After successfully reclaiming his ancestral home of Bebbanburg, and in order for Uhtred to keep the peace, the Saxon-Dane promised to remain independent of any war between King Constantin of Alba and King Edward of Wessex. But an independent Bebbanburg means Edward’s dream of a unified England remains in doubt. So will another Wessex king go against his word and betray Uhtred? All Uhtred dreams of is to live out his days in Bebbanburg in peace, but fate may have ulterior motives, and once again Uhtred will be at the heart of shaping the future of England.
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Who are the cast members of Seven Kings Must Die?
In the press release for Seven Kings Must Die it was confirmed that Alexander Dreymon would return to reprise his role as Uhtred of Bebbanburg. It was also confirmed that multiple characters from the show will return to reprise their roles, along with some new faces who are yet to be announced.
We expect to see the following cast members to return:
- Uhtred – Alexander Dreymon
- Young Uhtred – Finn Elliot
- Stiorra – Ruby Hartley
- Osbert – Olly Rhodes
- King Edward – Timothy Innes
- King Constantin – Rod Hallett
- Eadgifu – Sonya Cassidy
- Aethelstan – Harry Gilby
- Aelfweard – Ewan Horrocks
- Finan – Mark Rowley
- Sihtric – Arnas Fedaravicius
- Father Pyrlig – Cavan Clerkin
- Aelswith – Eliza Butterworth
- Aelfwynn – Phia Saban
- Lady Eadith – Stefanie Martini
- Abbess Hild – Eva Birthistle
- Father Benedict – Patrick Robinson
- Cynlaef – Ryan Quarmby
Alexander Dreymon had the following to say about his time spent playing the role of Uhtred;
It has been such an honor to be part of telling this story for all these years. As an actor, I have been so challenged and gratified by the privilege of playing Uhtred. Hanging up Uhtred’s sword after filming ‘Seven Kings’ felt, ironically, heavy – even though I know that our tale has reached its conclusion. As an EP on the show, I could not be more proud of the hundreds of people who spent thousands of hours to make the best product possible. As for our loyal fans…what can I say? You are the reason we’ve reached this point and got to bring our saga to the end. This, as it always has been, is for you.
What is the movie runtime?
Surprisingly, the movie runtime has been announced way ahead of time and will be approximately 120 minutes.
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What is the production status of Seven Kings Must Die?
Official Production Status: Post-Production (Last Updated: 11/01/2023)
At the end of January 2022, a tweet from the official The Last Kingdom Twitter account confirmed that filming is currently ongoing in Hungary for Seven Kings Must Die.
We have officially started filming Seven Kings Must Die.
Now that is special…#TheLastKingdom pic.twitter.com/rQxyLGWJyE— The Last Kingdom (@TheLastKingdom) January 31, 2022
Filming then took place for three months with the production wrapping on March 19th, 2022. Filming between season 1 and the movie took place over 663 days in total.
That’s a wrap for Seven Kings Must Die and a final series wrap for The Last Kingdom We can’t wait for you all to see it…
Fun fact: the total number of shoot days from season 1 to today is 663!#TheLastKingdom pic.twitter.com/yQDfAfyDf6
— The Last Kingdom (@TheLastKingdom) March 19, 2022
How many more of The Saxon Stories are left to adapt?
By the end of the fifth season of The Last Kingdom, a total of ten novels from Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories had been covered.
While the story of the show has diverged significantly from the novels, there are still elements of the story from the novels that the show utilizes and adapts. This leaves the writers only 120 minutes to nitpick from the plot of the remaining novels, War of the Wolf, Sword of Kings, and War Lord.
The Saxon Stories: Copyright – HarperCollins
Will a sixth season of The Last Kingdom happen?
Netflix has already made it clear that The Last Kingdom series has come to an end and won’t be returning for a sixth season. Uhtred’s story in the show has concluded, and his final chapter will be told through Seven Kings Must Die.
Are you looking forward to the release of Seven Kings Must Die on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
