Alexander Dreymon, who played the handsome boy-next-door Luke Ramsey in "American Horror Story: Coven," jumps off to a big lead in the historical drama "The Last Kingdom," which is produced by "Downton Abbey's" Carnival films, Variety reported.
TV Wise reported that "The Last Kingdom" is set in 872, a time when most of the kingdoms of England were under the dominion of the Vikings with only the Kingdom of Wessex standing in defiance under the rule of King Alfred the Great. Dreymon leads the cast as the hero, Uhtred, who is born to a Saxon nobleman and then orphaned and raised by the Vikings. He grows up to witness the Vikings dominate all of England, save for the Kingdom of Wessex.
Uhtred will find himself drifting in both sides of the war and he will have to make that tough choice to decide where his allegiance is and the crucial role he plays for the future of the country, Entertainment Weekly reported.
The cast, which has been drawn from eight different European countries, also includes David Dawson ("Ripper Street"), Emily Cox ("The Silent Mountain," "Circle of Life"), Matthew Macfadyen ("Anna Karenina," "MI-5"), Ian Hart ("Boardwalk Empire," "The Bridge"), and Tobias Santelmann ("Kon-Tiki," "Hercules - The Thracian Wars"), added Variety.
An adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's series of books "The Saxon Stories" by writer Stephen Butchard, the BBC series has started filming in Hungary and the U.K. Filming is underway for the first eight-episode series. "The Last Kingdom" is going to be faithful to the historical fiction so viewers cannot expect mythical creatures like dragons flying overhead and breathing fire. Writer Stephen Butchard has a wealth of resources to pull up some real and interesting stories: based on Bernard Cowell's "The Saxon Stories" book series, "Kingdom" has eight novels on which to base future series, Entertainment Weekly added.
BBC said that the series will have real historical figures combines with fictional characters. Behind the show is Producer, Chrissy Skinns, joined by Executive Producers Gareth Neame, Nigel Marchant, and Stephen Butchard. In addition, Nick Murphy is attached to direct multiple episodes, TV Wise reported.
In an interview with TV Wise, Executive Producer Gareth Neame said, "In part the epic quest of our hero Uhtred, it is also a fascinating re-telling of the tale of King Alfred the Great and how he united the many separate kingdoms on this island into what would become England. Our cast has been drawn together from eight different European countries, providing us with the unique opportunity to create a truly international show, tap into a rich seam of talent and bring them to a new global audience."
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