With Netflix movie “Seven Kings Must Die”the captivating story of the Viking ages that fans learned from the hand of “The Last Kingdom” (also in Netflix) It ended. The series -which had 5 seasons- and the film -released a few weeks ago on Netflix- are an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s literary saga. And the story focuses on the wars that led to the unification of all the kingdoms of England, as well as the expulsion of the Vikings from the island.
However, between the successful series “The Last Kingdom” and the recent film that closes the story –“Seven Kings Must Die”– There are some differences. These are justified by the time jump that occurs from the end of the series to the moment it is resumed with the film. But it is also reflected in the absence of two important characters, something that fans did not miss. And they still regret.
The two characters from “The Last Kingdom” that are not part of the movie
In “Seven Kings Must Die”the sequel film to “The Last Kingdom”, we meet again Uhtred de Bebbanburg (played by Alexander Dreymon, the great protagonist of the whole story). Several years after what was seen in the end of the series -where everything had culminated in a kind of truce between the different kingdoms-, in the film the conflicts and the desire for unification are refloated. And the escalation of the conflicts is such that Uhtred himself is forced to return to the battlefield.
However, and beyond the time jump that was involved in resuming the story in “Seven Kings Must Die”, there are two absences that are not completely clear among the fans. They are King Edward and Lady Aelswith, played by Timothy Innes and Eliza Butterworth respectively. And what is not completely clear among the fans is the abrupt decision to withdraw them from the story, especially considering that -despite the time jump in the plot- their role continues (or could continue) in force.
“It was really difficult to make that decision (not to include those characters) because I love them all. But we had limited screen time, so we couldn’t do justice to all the characters,” explained the writer and screenwriter of “Seven Kings Must Die” Martha Hillier in a recent interview and after being asked about the absence of two key characters in “The Last Kingdom”.
In fact, after the premiere it was confirmed that Lady Aelswith was going to have a brief participation in “Seven Kings Must Die” to close that story that began with “The Last Kingdom”. However, other work projects and commitments finally prevented the actress from being part of the film of Netflix.