BBC’s 1066 drama ‘King and Conqueror’ will ‘bring Harold and William to life’
We’ve got some more details about King and Conqueror!
The BBC’s upcoming historical drama about the Battle of Hastings was announced last month ahead of production commencing in Iceland in 2024.
James Norton (Grantchester, Happy Valley) is leading the cast as Harold, Earl of Wessex, with Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau playing William, Duke of Normandy.
King and Conqueror will tell “the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea.”
The synopsis explains: “Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.”
As well as appearing in the show as William, Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will also be one of the show’s directors.
Co-star James Norton has a key role behind the scenes too, as an executive producer with his own production company, Rabbit Track Pictures.
Baltasar Kormákur (Everest, Adrift) is set to helm the opening episode of the eight-part series.
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,” says Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition.
“In the UK 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,” she added.
“With incredible talent both in front of and behind the camera, I cannot wait for this exciting project to be realised,” Deeks teased.
Lindsey Martin at CBS Studios has described King and Conqueror as “a truly groundbreaking series with world class talent and global reach.”
“We are thrilled to partner with James, Nikolaj, Baltasar, and the entire creative team,” she commented.
“Michael’s scripts offer a bold and fresh take on a story that has endured for nearly 1,000 years, 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.”
King and Conqueror is scripted by Michael Robert Johnson, who wrote Robert Downey Jr’s first Sherlock Holmes movie.
The writer has worked with members of the Game of Thrones cast before, having penned 2014’s Pompeii film for Jon Snow actor Kit Harington, and several episodes of Sean Bean’s The Frankenstein Chronicles.
King and Conqueror is expected to premiere towards the end of 2024 or in early 2025 on BBC One and streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
It’s currently unclear who’ll be showing the series internationally, but Paramount Global Content Distribution are in charge of the show outside of the UK, so it could end up on Paramount+ or CBS.
2009’s Sherlock Holmes movie is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.