‘Vikings’ Season 5 Air Date Announcement: EP Confirms Late 2017 Release, Travis Fimmel Addresses Rumors

Vikings Season 5 has already finished filming all the scenes for the upcoming season of the History Channel drama. While the fifth season will go on without one key character, the show’s executive producer promises fans that the new episodes will be more exciting and explosive than the previous ones. When will Season 5 air?

The premiere of Vikings Season 5 is taking a bit longer than usual, as production for the new season has recently concluded. The historical drama often releases its new episodes in February, but the said month has already passed without a new episode released on air.

Speaking to IFTN, executive producer Morgan O’Sullivan explained that they still do not have a definite release date for Vikings Season 5. The latest update from the showrunner revealed that the show has just entered its post-production phase for the new season.

Given the timeline, O’Sullivan told the publication that fans may hear an announcement on the Vikings Season 5 air date from History Channel “pretty soon.” The executive producer believed that the new season will air “towards the end of the year.”

Vikings Season 5 has been quite a challenge for the History Channel drama following the events that unfolded in the Season 4 finale. It can be recalled that its lead character, King Ragnar Lothbrok, died after being dropped into a pit full of deadly vipers.

The gods want to know, will you have triumphant tales to speak of when we return for #Vikings Season 5? pic.twitter.com/f9VCfGseAt

— #Vikings (@HistoryVikings) February 2, 2017

O’Sullivan admitted during the interview that it was difficult for them to keep things interesting while staying true to the historical facts. Despite these challenges, the showrunner promised fans that Vikings Season 5 will continue to be as interesting and exciting as the previous seasons, if not better.

“I think when they see season 5 it’ll blow your socks off. It really is. It’s fabulous. It looks I just think looking at the rushes now and the cuts I’m really excited.”

Although O’Sullivan’s teasers for Vikings Season 5 sounded quite promising, several fans could not help but hope that Ragnar will return. Several rumors on Travis Fimmel’s return to the History Channel drama emerged online, but the actor recently addressed these reports in an interview with Gold Derby.

Fimmel explained that his stay on Vikings was already overdue, as his character was only slated to be there for one season. The actor was thankful that he was able to play the role of King Ragnar for four seasons before Ragnar met his end during the Season 4 finale.

“My character had done what he wanted in life and he also had many failings. But it felt like the perfect arc and the perfect time to go,” Fimmel said.

With this said, Fimmel shared that his character might have made a lot of poor decisions, but Ragnar only did these for his family and the people. The actor also recounted the difficulties that he went through while filming his last scene for Vikings.

Too soon? #Vikings pic.twitter.com/ZOve19bxqe

— #Vikings (@HistoryVikings) April 5, 2017

According to Fimmel, his final scene on Vikings Season 4 was such a challenge because the cold weather forced them to film the scene in such a short amount of time. While the show portrayed Fimmel’s Ragnar as being placed into a pit full of vipers, in real life, Fimmel filmed the scene with pythons and rat snakes.

With Fimmel’s Ragnar gone on Vikings Season 5, lots of changes are expected to take place in the upcoming season. Not only is Ragnar gone, but King Ecbert and Aelle also died in Season 4, which means that a new generation of rulers will take over their place to protect England from invaders.

Ragnar’s death will also force his sons, Ivar (Alex Høgh), Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig), Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø), and Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith) to move forward and create their own legacies on Vikings Season 5. There are also rumors that the new season may see the death of another major character – Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick).

What do you think will happen on Vikings Season 5 following the death of Travis Fimmel’s Ragnar?

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]