Historical spoiler alert (not a thing)! Nikolaj Coster-Waldau becomes a Kingslayer once again in CBS' King and Conqueror against James Norton, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Game of Thrones star will be fighting James Norton based on the Battle of Hastings. Coster-Waldau will play William of Normandy against Norton's Harold of Wessex. The two go on to be known as William the Conqueror and Harold Godwinson or Harold II.
Clash of Kings: William vs. Harold
The series' logline describes it as “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.”
Norton will also serve as an executive producer through his company Rabbit Track Pictures. Coster-Waldau will also executive produce and direct an episode.
BBC head of program acquisition Sue Deeks said, “In the U.K. 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 realized,” she continued.
The Battle of Hastings and the Common Law
Credit: english-heritage.org.uk
The Battle of Hastings and Harold II's defeat is important for several reasons: one, 1066, in popular imagination according the the English Hertiage website, is the year of the last successful invasion of England; two, William introduced the Norman ruling class to the English; and three, it began the institution of common law.
The common law was called that because it became common throughout England. The rule of stare decisis, Latin for “to stand by things decided” produced the common law. It meant that it required judges to follow decisions made in the past to decided on the same questions of law and fact.
Fun fact, common law produced lawyers as the men who became knowledgeable in the common law who ended up representing people with legal problems in English courts.
Paramount Global will distribute King and Conqueror outside the UK. Production will begin in 2024.
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