The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die

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The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die
Last kingdom seven kings must die.png
Official release poster
Directed by Edward Bazalgette
Written byMartha Hillier
Based on The Saxon Stories
by Bernard Cornwell
Produced by
  • Nigel Marchant
  • Gareth Neame
  • Mat Chaplin
Starring
CinematographyLuke Bryant
Edited byAdam Green
Production
company
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • 14 April 2023 (2023-04-14)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die is a 2023 British historical drama film directed by Edward Bazalgette, written by Martha Hillier, and based on the The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell. It acts as a sequel and conclusion to The Last Kingdom television series. [1] Series regulars Alexander Dreymon, Harry Gilby, Mark Rowley, Arnas Fedaravicius, Cavan Clerkin, James Northcote, Ross Anderson, Ilona Chevakova, Rod Hallett, Ewan Horrocks and Steffan Rhodri reprise their respective roles. The film was released on 14 April 2023 on Netflix.

Contents

Plot

Anlaf, a Viking king from Ireland, arrives with his army in Northumbria after learning that Edward, King of the Anglo-Saxons, has fallen gravely ill. Edward soon dies, leaving behind three sons, none of whom were named as his aetheling. Lady Eadgifu and the youngest son Edmund flee to Bebbanburg where Edward's former ally Uhtred resides. Although retired from war, Uhtred is informed that Edward's eldest son Aethelstan will likely attack his younger brother Aelfweard and makes plans to stop him. Before Uhtred leaves, Ingrith prophesizes that "seven kings must die" before England is to be united.

Uhtred reaches Aegelesburg, where Aelfweard prepares to defend against Aethelstan's impending attack. Aethelstan and his advisor Ingilmundr soon arrive and thwart a trap set by Aelfweard. Uhtred convinces Aelfweard to surrender peacefully, but Aethelstan swiftly kills him and massacres his men. Aethelstan is crowned king of the Saxons and Ingilmundr, who is secretly Aethelstan's lover, urges him to fulfil his grandfather's dream of uniting England and all Christians.

In Eoferwic, Aethelstan has taken over following the death of the previous Northumbrian king Rǫgnvaldr and demands that all foreign kings pay him tribute or face conquest and forced baptism. Uhtred arrives and witnesses the destruction of pagan monuments before learning that King Hywel Dda has submitted to Aethelstan after his son was taken hostage. Uhtred then discovers Aethelstan's relationship with Ingilmundr and believes he's being deceived. Ingilmundr secretly plans to have Uhtred killed, but Aldhelm warns Uhtred who flees back to Bebbanburg. Aldhelm is subsequently labelled a traitor by Aethelstan and hanged for his actions. Ingilmundr arrives at Bebbanburg to take the castle, but unaware that Uhtred had escaped, is quickly captured. Ingilmundr later convinces a servant to lure Uhtred into a trap, where he is captured by Aethelstan's men, forcing Osbert to surrender Bebbanburg. Osbert and Edmund are taken captive and sent to Thelwael, while Aethelstan, unable to kill Uhtred, banishes him from England.

On the Isle of Man, Anlaf hosts a gathering of kings with Prince Domnal and the rulers of Strathclyde, Orkney, Shetland and Man, warning them of Aethelstan's impending conquest. Although they initially decline the offer of allying with a pagan, Aethelstan embarks upon an invasion of Scotland, forcing King Constantin and the other rulers to form an alliance. A weakened Uhtred is found by the Danes and taken to Shetland, where he learns that Ingilmundr is a Danish spy. He meets with Anlaf and the other kings, who request that Uhtred assassinate Aethelstan to avoid war.

Uhtred travels to Wintanceaster and unsuccessfully tries to convince Aethelstan to stop his conquest. Uhtred then returns to Bebbanburg, only to learn from Eadgifu that Anlaf had sacked the castle, and sealed Ingrith and the commonfolk in a cave to suffocate. Ingilmundr massacres the Saxons at Thelwael, and Uhtred later arrives to discover that Osbert and Edmund had managed to stay hidden and survive. A remorseful Aethelstan makes peace with Uhtred and plans to stop Anlaf's invasion, but refuses any help. Knowing that Aethelstan will likely die, Uhtred and his allies head to face Anlaf, who has amassed his forces at Brunanburh. At the Battle of Brunanburh, Uhtred and Aethelstan's forces are heavily outnumbered and make a tactical withdrawal, allowing Saxon cavalry to flank from behind. In the chaos, Domnal and the heirs of the other kings are killed. After witnessing Ingilmundr attack Aethelstan, Uhtred is gravely wounded whilst attempting to aid him.

In the aftermath of the battle, the other kings quickly abandon Anlaf and a captive Ingilmundr is executed. Aethelstan helps return the gravely wounded Uhtred to Bebbanburg and Finan concludes that the deaths of Edward and the five heirsfive kings who will never be crownedonly partially fulfil the prophecy that "seven kings must die", while Uhtred speculates that he will be the seventh. Uhtred agrees to swear Northumbria to Aethelstan in exchange for him agreeing to make Edmund his sole heir, making Aethelstan the first king of a united England, fulfilling the dream of his grandfather King Alfred. Seemingly on the verge of death, Uhtred experiences a vision of Valhalla, where he sees several of his deceased allies waiting for him.

Cast

Additionally, Zoltan Andrasi portrays a Saxon lookout and Juhász Vince and Dániel Brezovszky portray a pair of teenage mercenaries. Zsolt Pall, Attila Árpa and Laurent Winkler portray the kings of Orkney, Shetland and Man respectively while Balogh Domokos, Kolos András Takács, Dániel Hernádi and Gábor Turtsányi portray the sons of the kings of Strathclyde, Orkney, Shetland and Man. Several actors also reprise their roles from The Last Kingdom as they feast together in Valhalla: Emily Cox as Brida, Uhtred's childhood friend-turned-adversary; Jeppe Beck Laursen as Haesten, a Danish warlord previously at odds with the Kings of Wessex and Mercia; Magnus Samuelsson as Clapa, a fearless warrior who once served Uhtred; and Peter Gantzler as Earl Ragnar; Uhtred's foster father and a Danish warlord.

Production

Producer Nigel Marchant revealed that talks about a movie had been proceeding following the launch of The Last Kingdom's fourth season in April 2020. [3] In October 2021, prior to the fifth season of The Last Kingdom being released on Netflix in early 2022, the feature-length sequel to the series was announced at the MCM London Comic Con by Dreymon, who acted as executive producer as well as starring as Uhtred on the show. It was given the working title Seven Kings Must Die and would follow events of the series which took place over a circa-45-year period of history from 866 onwards focusing on the Kingdom of Wessex and ongoing Viking incursions into England. [4]

The screenplay for Seven Kings Must Die was written by Martha Hillier with direction by Ed Bazalgette and production by Marchant, Gareth Neame and Mat Chaplin. Alongside Dreymon, Hillier also served as executive producer. It was produced by Carnival Films and distributed worldwide by NBCUniversal International Distribution. [5] Principal photography began in Budapest in January 2022, and wrapped by the end of March 2022. [1] [6]

Several characters portrayed by series regulars on The Last Kingdom were cut from the film during production which included Lady Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth), King Edward (Timothy Innes), Lady Aelfwynn (Phia Saban), Cynlaef (Ryan Quarmby) and Uhtred's elder children Stiorra (Ruby Hartley) and Young Uhtred (Finn Elliot) due to the condensed running time from the change in format. Screenwriter Martha Hillier stated that “It was heartbreaking..." she began. "But we only really had a certain amount of real estate and we couldn't service all the characters. It's a much more single protagonist story”. [7]

Release

The film was released on 14 April 2023, by Netflix. [5]

Reception

Audience viewership

Globally, The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die debuted at number one on Netflix's Top 10 Film English titles for the tracking week of 10–16 April 2023 with 35.5 million hours viewed. [8] On the following week, it remained at number one and garnered 25.7 million viewing hours. [9]

In the United Kingdom, the film debuted at number two for the first tracking week, [10] and moved down one spot to number three on the following week. [11] In the United States, according to Whip Media's TV Time, it was the most streamed film across all platforms during the week of 16 April 2023. [12]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82%, based on 17 critic reviews with an average rating of 7.1/10. [13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 48 out of 100, based on 6 reviews indicating "mixed or average reviews". [14]

Leslie Felperin in The Guardian said that the film has "a ton of plot crammed tightly into the running time", but that the director "Edward Bazalgette manages the storytelling efficiently". [15] Jo Berry in Digital Spy described a "beautifully filmed action adventure with a watchable lead in Alexander Dreymon". [16] Catharine Bray for Variety praised Pekka Strang in his role of the Danish warrior King Anlaf whilst saying it is "probably not a film that will engage too many people outside the show's existing fanbase" but that it "is most interesting, however, is in its approach to religion, sexuality and culture" and the blending of peoples, beliefs and values similar to the modern day. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund I</span> King of the English from 939 to 946

Edmund I or Eadmund I was King of the English from 27 October 939 until his death. He was the elder son of King Edward the Elder and his third wife, Queen Eadgifu, and a grandson of King Alfred the Great. After Edward died in 924, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Edmund's half-brother Æthelstan. Edmund was crowned after Æthelstan died childless in 939. He had two sons, Eadwig and Edgar, by his first wife Ælfgifu, and none by his second wife Æthelflæd. His sons were young children when he was killed in a brawl with an outlaw at Pucklechurch in Gloucestershire, and he was succeeded by his younger brother Eadred, who died in 955 and was followed by Edmund's sons in succession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eadred</span> King of the English (946–955)

Eadred was King of the English from 26 May 946 until his death. He was the younger son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. His elder brother, Edmund, was killed trying to protect his seneschal from an attack by a violent thief. Edmund's two sons, Eadwig and Edgar, were then young children, so Eadred became king. He suffered from ill health in the last years of his life and he died at the age of a little over thirty, having never married. He was succeeded successively by his nephews, Eadwig and Edgar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Æthelstan</span> King of the English from 927 to 939

Æthelstan or Athelstan was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. Modern historians regard him as the first King of England and one of the "greatest Anglo-Saxon kings". He never married and had no children; he was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund I.

The Saxon Stories is a historical novel series written by Bernard Cornwell about the birth of England in the ninth and tenth centuries. The series consists of 13 novels. The protagonist of the series is Uhtred of Bebbanburg, born to a Saxon lord in Northumbria. He is captured as a child and raised by a Danish warlord. Uhtred, despite his inclination otherwise, repeatedly fights and schemes to bring about Alfred the Great's dream of uniting all English speakers in one realm over the course of a long life.

Uhtred of Bamburgh, was ruler of Bamburgh and from 1006 to 1016 the ealdorman of Northumbria. He was the son of Waltheof I, ruler of Bamburgh (Bebbanburg), whose family the Eadwulfings had ruled the surrounding region for over a century. Uhtred's death by assassination was described in De obsessione Dunelmi and has been interpreted as the beginning of a blood feud. Not to be confused with Uhtred the son of Eadwulf I of Bamburgh, which is why he historically has been referred to as Uhtred the Bold.

<i>The Last Kingdom</i> 2004 book by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Kingdom is the first historical novel in The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, published in 2004. This story introduces Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon noble who is kidnapped by Danish Vikings as a young child and is assimilated into their culture, religion and language before a series of events lead him into the service of King Alfred of Wessex and his participation in multiple battles, including the notable Battle of Cynwit before the book's conclusion.

<i>The Lords of the North</i> 2006 historical novel by Bernard Cornwell

The Lords of the North is the third historical novel in the Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell published in 2006. The story is set in the 9th century Anglo-Saxon kingdoms Wessex and Northumbria. Uhtred wants revenge against his uncle, and falls in love. He fights for both the Danes and for Alfred.

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<i>Death of Kings</i> 2011 historical novel by Bernard Cornwell

Death of Kings, published in 2011, is the sixth novel of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales series. It continues the story of Saxon warlord Uhtred of Bebbanburg who resists a new Danish invasion of Wessex and Mercia.

<i>The Pagan Lord</i> 2013 historical novel by Bernard Cornwell

The Pagan Lord is the seventh historical novel in the Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 2013. The story is set in the early 10th century in Anglo-Saxon Mercia and Northumbria.

<i>The Empty Throne</i> 2014 historical novel by Bernard Cornwell

The Empty Throne is the eighth historical novel in The Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in October 2014. It is set in 10th-century Mercia and Dyfed.

<i>The Last Kingdom</i> (TV series) British television series

The Last Kingdom is a British historical fiction television series based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories series of novels. The series was developed for television by Stephen Butchard and premiered on 10 October 2015 on BBC Two. For the second series, Netflix co-produced the series. In 2018, the series was acquired by Netflix, which continued the series for three more series. The series concluded on 9 March 2022 after five series for a total of 46 episodes. A feature-length sequel that concluded the series story, titled Seven Kings Must Die, premiered on 14 April 2023 on Netflix.

<i>Warriors of the Storm</i> 2015 historical novel by Bernard Cornwell

Warriors of the Storm is the ninth historical novel in The Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in October 2015. It is set in 10th-century Mercia, Northumbria and Northern Ireland and continues to follow the fortunes of the fictional Uhtred of Bebbanburg.

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Alexander Dreymon is a German actor. He is best known for portraying Uhtred of Bebbanburg in the television series The Last Kingdom (2015–2022). Dreymon's other notable roles were in Christopher and His Kind (2011) and American Horror Story: Coven (2013–2014). Dreymon also appeared in the 2011 World War II film Resistance.

<i>The Flame Bearer</i> 2016 historical novel in The Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell

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<i>War of the Wolf</i> 2018 historical novel in The Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell

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<i>Sword of Kings</i> 2019 book by Bernard Cornwell

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<i>War Lord</i> (novel) 2020 novel by Bernard Cornwell

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References

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