Nikolaj Coster-Waldau & James Norton to Play William the Conqueror & King Harold II in New Series
Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will battle for a throne once more in a new period drama from CBS Studios and BBC titled King and Conqueror.
Coster-Waldau will play William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England, in the series opposite Happy Valley and Grantchester star James Norton as Harold, Earl of Wessex, per Variety. Also known as Harold Godwinson, Harold would become King Harold II, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England. The men are destined to face off in the Battle of Hastings in 1066, during which Harold was killed. William led the Normans to victory in the battle, marking the end of the 600-year Anglo-Saxon rule over England.
King and Conqueror is set in the 11th century before William, Duke of Normandy became William the Conqueror and before Harold was king. The men are allies with no interest in the British throne, but circumstances force them to become obsessed with winning the crown. The eight-episode series will begin production in 2024 in Iceland.
BBC will broadcast the series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. Paramount Global Content Distribution will be in charge of distributing the series outside of the U.K., bringing the period drama to more audiences.
King and Conqueror is created, written, and executive produced by Sherlock Holmes‘ Michael Robert Johnson. Baltasar Kormákur directs the first episode in addition to executive producing for RVK Studios, and Coster-Waldau and Norton are also executive producing. Norton executive produces with Kitty Kaletsky for Rabbit Track Pictures. Additional executive producers include Robert Taylor for The Development Partnership, Dave Clarke and Richard Halliwell for Shepherd Content, Ed Clarke, Robert Jones, and CBS Studios’ Lindsey Martin.
Lindsey Martin, senior VP of international co-productions and development at CBS Studios, said King and Conqueror is “a truly groundbreaking series with world-class talent and global reach.” “Michael’s scripts offer a bold and fresh take on a story that has endured for nearly 1,000 years,” she added, “and yet, the themes are as contemporary and relevant as ever. We are incredibly proud of what the team has achieved so far and can’t wait to see it all come to fruition on screen with our star-studded cast.”
Sue Deeks, head of BBC program acquisition, said in a statement, “In the U.K. we learn about William the Conqueror, the Battle of Hastings and King Harold’s gruesome death in our school history lessons — but those headlines are all most of us can remember. King and Conqueror will bring Harold and William to life, depicting their lives, loves and families, and the gripping, high-stakes power game that led to their fateful meeting in 1066. With incredible talent both in front of and behind the camera, I cannot wait for this exciting project to be realized.”
Best known for playing Jaime Lannister in HBO‘s Game of Thrones, Coster-Waldau recently starred in Apple TV+‘s The Last Thing He Told Me with Jennifer Garner. Norton is best known for Happy Valley and also starred in The Nevers, Greta Gerwig‘s Little Women, 2017’s Flatliners, Black Mirror, and more.
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