The year is 872, and many of the separate kingdoms of what we now know as England have fallen to the invading Danes, leaving the great kingdom of Wessex standing alone and defiant under the command of King Alfred (David Dawson, Peaky Blinders). Against this turbulent backdrop lives our hero, Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon, American Horror Story).
Born the son of a Saxon nobleman, he is captured by the Danes and raised as one of their own. Forced to choose between the country of his birth and the people of his upbringing, his loyalties are ever tested. What is he? Saxon or Dane? On a quest to reclaim his birthright, Uhtred must tread a dangerous path between both sides if he is to play his part in the birth of a new nation and, ultimately, recapture his ancestral lands.
In 2015, Carnival Films (
Downton Abbey, The Hollow Crown) produced
The Last Kingdom, based on the Bernard Cornwell-written series of novels,
The Saxon Stories. At the time, BBC America was the show's co-producer, so when
Series 1 was released in North America on home video in January 2016, it was put out on DVD (only; no Blu-ray) by BBC Home Entertainment.
Then, for the program's second season, BBC America decided to drop out of the partnership, for unknown reasons. But Netflix replaced them as the show's co-producers with Carnival. The
Season 2 episodes still aired on BBC Two in the UK, but in the States the show was seen on Netflix (rather than BBC America, where it was previously broadcast).
Thus, when it came time for a home video release, Netflix struck a deal with Universal Studios Home Entertainment to put out
The Last Kingdom - Season 2 on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Those releases hit stores this past May. Meanwhile the first season's DVDs from the BBC have gone out-of-print (and have since become a little bit harder to find...although
Amazon and the
BBC Shop still stock it, at reduced prices).
Now, Universal Studios Home Entertainment is going back and re-releasing
The Last Kingdom - Season 1. It will be available on
October 10th, and this time in both popular disc formats! Amazon.com is already taking pre-orders for it on
DVD ($26.98 SRP) and high-def
Blu-ray Disc ($39.98 SRP). Both 3-disc sets include English SDH subtitles, and the following bonus material (which are new, and not found on the BBC release):
- Creating the World of The Last Kingdom
- The Making of The Last Kingdom
- The Stunts of The Last Kingdom
Package art for Universal's
Season 1 releases aren't available yet, but stay tuned!
