Hot Picks: King & Conqueror

In 1066, Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy faced each other at the Battle of Hastings. Harold died and William won, becoming King of England and irrevocably changing the trajectory of the country. This story is well known, certainly within the UK, but King & Conqueror explores the less well-known tale of what brought these men to battle.

Before they were rivals for the English crown, Harold (James Norton) and William (Game Of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) were allies with no designs on the throne, but circumstances and personal obsession pushed them into war.

The series will air on the BBC in the UK, with Paramount Global Content Distribution having boarded the project right at the start. President of international content licensing Lisa Kramer says she knew from the outset the show would be “a highlight” of the distributor’s catalogue.

“For starters, we enjoy partnering on shows with the BBC, because that is already a testament to the quality,” she says. “But the package of the show – from James Norton to Baltasar Kormákur and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – how can you say no to that?”

The drama also boasts an impressive supporting cast, including Emily Beecham, Clémence Poésy, Eddie Marsan and Juliet Stevenson.

While writer Michael Robert Johnson (Sherlock Holmes) was keen to stick to the historical facts, Kramer argues that the show is much more than simply a historical drama. For this reason, she says, there is no doubt that “it is absolutely a global show”.

“For those of us who are interested in the history, it’s wonderful to watch the characterisation of these two historical figures, but it also has so much to offer those who just love edge-of-your-seat, thrilling drama,” she adds.

“The script focuses on the story of each man and the families that surround them, the women who drive them and their individual journeys towards what would culminate in an obsession for the throne.

“It delivers on all of the emotionality, whether it’s family dynamics, betrayal or greed and avarice – it’s just phenomenal.”

So far, no deals have been closed for distribution outside of the UK but, Kramer says: “We’ve had a lot of inbound interest. Since we knew it was coming and that it was going to be something special, we have been talking to various players about pre-buy scenarios, as opposed to waiting for it to premiere on the BBC.”

The distributor also remains open to buyer options and Kramer expects the appeal to be very broad. She points to Yellowstone as a comparator – a show that ended up generating a lot of “excitement and stickiness” but was initially pigeon-holed within its genre. “Yellowstone is more than a Western. It is a family drama with rich characters and this is very much the same.”

She expects King & Conqueror to play well in Europe and believes it could comfortably sit on a PSB or commercial channel. And, she says: “I think it will be of keen interest to streamers, because of the Nikolaj Coster-Waldau factor, but also because it’s just compelling, driving drama, which is what we are all in pursuit of these days.”