Starz has acquired the rights to the film, Northmen -- A Viking Saga from Ascot Elite Entertainment Group.
The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, encompasses distribution rights across all platforms, including theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada, as well as pay-TV windows on Starz services.
Northmen is directed by Claudio Fäh and produced by Ralph Dietrich. Samantha Horley of the Salt Company, which handles worldwide sales rights, negotiated the deal on behalf of Ascot Elite.
“Northmen is visually stunning, full of action and just the type of film fans will love across any platform,” said Kevin Kasha, head of acquisitions for Starz. “We’re so pleased the filmmakers selected Starz as the home for its film.”
Northmen – A Viking Saga stars Tom Hopper (Black Sails), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Ken Duken (Inglorious Basterds), Charlie Murphy (Philomena), James Norton (Rush), Ed Skrein (Transporter), Anatole Tauban (Lost Place) and Johan Hegg, frontman of death metal band, Amon Amarth. The film is a co-production between Elite Filmproduktion AG, Two Oceans Production Ltd., and Jumping Horse Film GmbH. It was produced by Ralph S. Dietrich, Karin G. Dietrich, Daniel Höltschi, Frank Kaminski, Ulrich Stiehm, Marco Del Bianco, Rolf Wappenschmitt, Giselher Venzke and Bertha Spieker.
Banished from their homeland by their own king, a group of ruthless Vikings bear down on Britain, intent on plunder and pillaging. Under the command of their daring leader Asbjörn (Hopper), they embark on a dangerous mission: to rob the monasteries of their treasures and with it, to buy back their freedom. Their journey is disrupted however, when they are caught in a vicious storm, which leaves them shipwrecked on the Scottish coast. Stranded behind enemy lines, their only chance of survival is to make it to the distant Viking-settlement Danelaw. En route, the Vikings successfully capture the feisty Lady Inghean (Murphy), daughter of King Dunchaid (Keogh). The banished warriors seize their opportunity for a high ransom, but King Dunchaid, well-prepared in battle, summons his most ruthless mercenary army the ‘Wolf Pack‘ – a band of men feared for their cruelty across the land. It is only with the help of a mysterious monk called Conall (Kwanten), that the Northmen finally manage to escape from the ‘Wolf Pack’ and their merciless leaders Hjorr (Skrein) and Bovarr (Taubman). As Conall leads the Vikings through the only safe route to Danelaw – the long forgotten “Path of the Serpent” – a relentless race against time begins; a hunt for life and death.
