Netflix's Vikings spin-off series Valhalla to resume filming in Ireland

Netflix and MGM TV’s hotly anticipated spin-off Vikings series, Valhalla, is set to film at Ashford Studios in County Wicklow, Ireland, likely from August.

The project was due to shoot at the studios earlier this year when the virus struck, putting production on hold. Now MGM TV will return to the facility where the hugely successful Vikings series filmed between 2012 and 2018.

Vikings: Valhalla, written by Jeb Stuart, will begin 100 years after the conclusion of the original story and will focus on the adventures of Leif Erikson, Freydis, Harald Hardrada and the Norman king William the Conquerer.

Speaking about the new series, creator Michael Hirst (The Tudors) said: “I am so happy that we are returning to Ireland and Ashford Studios in glorious County Wicklow, which has been our home for the last eight years. Our Irish crew, in my opinion, is the best and most professional crew in the world. And it has been a particular joy to me, shared with my producer Morgan O’Sullivan, that we have been able to give continuous employment to many hundreds of Irish men and women.”

Netflix has ordered 24 episodes of the new series.

As Ireland eases out of the Covid‑19 pandemic, facilitated by a new set of guidelines drawn up by Screen Producers Ireland, a number of other large-scale productions are set to resume. These include Foundation at Troy Studios in Limerick following the construction of a fourth soundstage, and Ridley Scott’s period epic The Last Duel, starring Matt Damon, Jodie Comer, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck, which will shoot in several locations across the country.