James Norton looks set to defend the Anglo-Saxon throne against French invader Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the first glimpse of the upcoming medieval drama series “King and Conqueror.”
Norton plays Harold, Earl of Wessex in the series as he prepares to confront Coster-Waldau’s William, Duke of Normandy, at the famous Battle of Hastings.
Also starring are Emily Beecham as Edith Swan-neck and Clémence Poésy as Matilda.
James Norton in ‘King and Conqueror’ (courtesy BBC)
The images show Harold leading an army and dressed in full armor in the middle of the battlefield. Norton said the six-month shoot in Iceland was “dirty and messy – I was covered in mud for six months.”
“’King and Conqueror’ is the story of a collision that for a thousand years has defined the future of a country – and a continent – whose roots go back decades and extend through a few interconnected family dynasties, battling for the power over two lands and a raging sea,” reads the logline. “Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies without any goal on the British throne, forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of the crown.”
Norton was initially set to play William, but was forced to take on the role of Harold due to contractual issues regarding another series he shot for HBO, Joss Whedon’s science fiction series “The Nevers.”
“HBO said very clearly, ‘You can go and record ‘King and Conquer,’ especially considering you’re an EP and you’re developing it, but you have to die,” Norton said Wednesday at the British television conference Content London. The diktat was issued in case “King and Conquer” was successful enough to return for a second season, with Norton contractually obligated to forgo acting in a recurring series while still being optioned for “The Nevers” .
James Norton in ‘King and Conqueror’ (courtesy BBC)
However, he eventually came to love Harold’s character. “Nikolai is so right for William,” Norton said. ‘I think he would say the same thing. I loved the trip I took with Harold. And I think he did that with William too.
The eight-part series is written by Michael Robert Johnson, with Baltasar Kormákur (“Everest”) directing the opening episode.
The show will premiere in the UK next year on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Paramount Global Content Distribution is handling international sales.
“King and Conqueror” is produced by The Development Partnership, Rabbit Track Pictures, Shepherd Content, RVK Studios and CBS Studios in association with the BBC.