James Norton to star in new historical drama King and Conqueror
The eight-parter will centre on the Battle of Hastings and the events leading up to it.
After another terrifying turn in Happy Valley's final episodes, James Norton is set to star in an upcoming BBC historical drama, King and Conqueror.
The newly announced series by CBS Studios will centre on Harold of Wessex and William of Normand, who met in the legendary Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The BBC teased in a statement that the drama would tell the story of "a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea".
"Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown," it continued
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Norton, who is also executive producing, will play Harold, Earl of Wessex. He'll be joined by Game of Thrones' star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William, Duke of Normandy.
The series will consist of eight episodes and has been penned by Michael Robert Johnson, of Sherlock Holmes and The Frankenstein Chronicles fame, with Everest's Baltasar Kormákur directing the first episode.
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Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, added: "In the UK we learn about William the Conqueror, the Battle of Hastings and King Harold’s gruesome death in our school history lessons – but those headlines are all most of us can remember.
"King and Conqueror will bring Harold and William to life, depicting their lives, loves and families, and the gripping, high stakes power game that led to their fateful meeting in 1066. With incredible talent both in front of and behind the camera, I cannot wait for this exciting project to be realised."
Details on when filming will commence and when the series will land are yet to be confirmed.
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