The Last Kingdom has fought a good fight, but it will be ending with season 5. That was always the plan. Based on Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories books, the series has adapted 10 of 13 novels in five seasons.
But a movie-length feature covering the remaining three books is in the works. And it’ll star Alexander Dreymon as Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
What Happens to Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s Cast?
Sadly, it seems that we won’t be seeing Uhtred of Bebbanburg return for season six but that doesn’t mean the show is dead. Rather, the series will wrap up with one final stand in a feature film, Seven Kings Must Die.
The new two-hour movie will serve as a send off for the series and will focus on Uhtred and his comrades adventures across Saxon England. The team behind the series, including showrunners Mat Chaplin and Nigel Marchant and actor Alexander Dreymon are set to executive produce the film.
A full cast has yet to be announced but we can expect to see many of the series’ key players reappear in the film, including a few who made it out of season five alive. Osbert, the son of Saxon Ealdorman thelwulf, is expected to be among them. The movie will draw from Bernard Cornwell’s final three novels, War of the Wolf, Sword of Kings, and War Lord so book fans have plenty to look forward to.
Will There Be a Season 6?
After five seasons of scheming, betrayal, and epic battles, the historical drama The Last Kingdom has reached its end. Adapted from Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories novels, the show revolved around the warrior Uhtred of Bebbanburg as he struggled to claim his ancestral birthright in medieval England. It gained a loyal following over the years.
Even though the series’ source material stretches beyond season 5, it was decided to wrap up the story after five seasons and 46 episodes. However, fans were disappointed to know that Netflix didn’t plan on producing a sixth season, but rather a feature-length film that would conclude the series.
The film titled Seven Kings Must Die premiered on April 14, 2023. It’s designed to act as a stand-alone epilogue, tying up all loose ends and giving the characters a proper sendoff. Many of the cast members have been expressing their gratitude to fans on social media. For example, actress Eliza Butterworth who played a devout wife of King Alfred named Aelswith and actor Mark Rowley who portrayed Finan have thanked the fans for their support.
What Will the Movie Be About?
It’s been a while since fans found out that The Last Kingdom wouldn’t be going on to a sixth season, but the show will still be continuing in a different format. According to actor Alexander Dreymon, the series will be making a movie that will serve as a “standalone epilogue” inspired by the final novels in the series by Bernard Cornwell: War of the Wolf, Sword of Kings and War Lord.
The Last Kingdom premiered on BBC in 2015 before Netflix picked it up in 2018, and each of the five seasons covered two books in the Saxon Stories series. While the decision to wrap up the series with season five certainly surprised many longtime fans, executive producer Nigel Marchant explained that the endpoint was actually a plan that was set in place when the series first began production.
Ultimately, Marchant said it was just the right time to wrap things up, and it’s expected that Seven Kings Must Die will conclude Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s journey in a satisfying way for all involved.
Will There Be a Season 7?
When The Last Kingdom announced season 5 would be its final episode, it was met with disappointment from fans. However, executive producer Marchant reassured viewers that the show wasn’t being canceled like some had feared.
Instead, the show’s creators are moving on to a movie-length epilogue. Seven Kings Must Die will pick up where the series left off, with Alexander Dreymon returning as Uhtred.
The Last Kingdom centered on Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s journey to reclaim his ancestral birthright. It took five seasons and lots of bloodshed, but he was finally able to do so in the finale. The TV series covered Cornwell’s first ten books, but the film will cover three more – allowing the story to move on to its natural conclusion. In the meantime, we can look forward to seeing more of Eliza Butterworth’s obnoxious Aelswith and Mark Rowley’s hilarious Finan in future episodes of the Netflix drama. The movie will also bring back several other cast members, so the fanbase is in good hands.
