‘The Last Kingdom’ director gives update on ‘epic’ final season

The upcoming fifth season of The Last Kingdom just got nearer…

Set in the late 9th century AD, when England is divided into seven separate kingdoms, the epic historical drama series is based on the Saxon Stories novels by Bernard Cornwell.

The Last Kingdom originally aired on BBC Two in the UK and on BBC America in the USA, but has been released exclusively on Netflix since its third season.

Fans received the sad news recently that the show will end with its next season.

Production on the final ten episodes of The Last Kingdom has been underway in Hungary, Budapest.

We can now confirm that Season 5 completed filming this week!

Director Jon East announced on Twitter yesterday: “It’s a wrap! TLK5’s in the digital can.”

Teasing what to expect from the last ever season, the director hinted: “The last block was a monster, eclipsing in complexity/scale all I’ve directed on this great show since I joined in 2016.”

East added: “The last season is ending in EPIC style! Big thanks to the top team that worked with tireless devotion to make it so.”

Jon East isn’t the only director working on the new season – one of the episodes has also been directed by star Alexander Dreymon, in his directorial debut.

Joining Dreymon as Uhtred will be a number of new cast members, including Patrick Robinson (Sitting in Limbo) as Father Benedict, Sonya Cassidy (Humans) as Eadgifu, and Harry Gilby (Tolkien) as Aethelstan.

Season 5 is based on the ninth and tenth books in Bernard Cornwell’s 13-part seriesThe Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer.

It was previously reported that “the fifth season will see Uhtred realize his destiny is more than just Bebbanburg: it is tied to the future of England itself.

“Charged with training King Edward’s first-born son Aethelstan as a warrior, Uhtred’s ambition will have an even higher purpose. But to achieve this destiny, Uhtred will have to face down his greatest enemy and suffer his greatest loss.”

With filming now finished, post-production special effects work will be taking place before The Last Kingdom is ready to return to our screens.

Season 5 will hopefully premiere on Netflix towards the end of 2021 – or otherwise in early 2022.

The Last Kingdom is available on DVD on Amazon.