Mud, Blood & Leather: James Norton Teases the Gritty Battles of ‘King & Conqueror’

Directed by Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur, King & Conqueror tells the story of Harold, Earl of Wessex (played by Norton), and William, Duke of Normandy (portrayed by Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). The series takes a raw, unfiltered approach to medieval history, capturing the intensity of battle and the personal struggles of its central figures.

James Norton may have looked fresh-faced when he greeted the audience at the London Screenings, but filming King & Conqueror was anything but glamorous. The actor recalled the tough conditions while shooting in Iceland, saying, “I was covered in mud and blood and layers of leather, it was a brutal shoot.”

From the start, Kormákur had a clear vision for the show’s tone and style. Norton explained, “He had a very clear vision around the tone and the aesthetic – from the very beginning he wanted to avoid this being a clean, cozy period drama.” Instead, the team aimed for something more rugged and realistic, immersing the audience in the harsh realities of the 11th century.

Bringing that vision to life wasn’t easy. Norton revealed that the costume design added another layer of difficulty to the already intense shoot. “It took me hours every day to get ready because I had layer after layer of leather and chain mail. It paid dividends because you can see everything is so authentic. That was something [Kormákur] was very stubborn about, and it was so worth it in the end.”

While the show is filled with epic fight scenes and bloodshed, King & Conqueror isn’t just about war. Norton and producer Kitty Kaletsky were determined to make the series more than just “battle after battle and fight after fight.” They wanted to explore the personal lives of these historical figures, particularly their relationships with their wives.

“One of the things we were really keen to avoid was for it to become this butch beat-me-up testosterone-filled kind of journey,” Norton said. “One of the big things Kitty brought in was focusing on the domestic—it is a story about William and Harold, but it’s really a story about couples.”

The show features Emily Beecham as Edith and Clémence Poésy as Matilda, bringing depth and emotional stakes to the historical drama.

Paramount Global Content Distribution is handling international sales, making King & Conqueror a key priority in this year’s market. With its mix of brutal realism, rich storytelling, and interesting characters, the series promises to be a must-watch for fans of historical drama.

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