EXCLUSIVE: After battling The White Walkers, Game of Thrones star Kristofer Hivju is taking on the dangerous world of non-scripted entertainment formats for his next challenge.
Hivju, who played Tormund Giantsbane in the HBO drama, is developing survival series True Viking after striking a co-production deal with two British production companies – I Wanna Marry Harry producer Zig Zag Productions and The 1900 Island producer Wildflame.
Hivju will host the series as well as produce, alongside with his TV-presenter wife via his production company Tindefilm.
The series is a brutal endurance competition in which contestants must hone their Vikings skills and apply their mental and physical strength to endure the toughest test of their lives. The series will challenge contestants to execute authentic Viking tasks amid the desolate wilds of the unsympathetic Norwegian fjords. For five weeks contestants will eat, live, survive as Vikings – mastering new skills and pushing themselves beyond their limits. They will navigate treacherous snow-capped mountains on expeditions, smash through layers of ice on frozen lakes to fish, build their own shelters, scavenge and hunt their food and train as the Vikings would for battle. Contestants will unite in group challenges and go head to head in lone survival tasks. It is set against a Norwegian backdrop, the location being the actual site of one of the greatest battles in Viking history.
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The three companies are taking the series, which is being developed as ten-part series, to Mipcom next week to strike deals with international broadcasters.
“Tindefilm – based in the homeland of the mighty Vikings – is honored to bring this truly authentic Viking history adventure series to the international market. The Norse heritage runs through our veins, and we are passionate about sharing our magnificent ancestral past with the whole world,” said Gry Molvær Hivju, Executive Producer of Tindefilm.
“Viking history is revered throughout the world. This extreme survival television adventure combines ancient skills with epic endurance set against a breathtaking backdrop. As passionate factual program makers it gives us the opportunity to bring history to life as we’ve never seen it before as we challenge 21st century men and women to step into the world of the most iconic and often feared tribes on earth,” said Paul Islwyn Thomas, CEO of Wildflame Productions.
“True Viking is a compelling concept that combines endurance, history and adventure set against a breathtaking backdrop. We feel privileged to have been offered the opportunity to partner on this epic new project and are thrilled to be working with Tindefilm and Wildflame and revealing the series to international buyers at Mipcom,” added Danny Fenton, Chief Executive Officer, Zig Zag Productions.
