Seven Kings Must Die: TLK's Alexander Dreymon Thinks Gone With The Wind Is An Apt Comparison
Fans of the historical drama "The Last Kingdom" are now seeing the epic saga of Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon) concluded in a feature film titled "The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die." There are any number of touchstones one could point to in connection with the series and its concluding movie, but star Dreymon sees a particular point of resonance with an American classic: "Gone with the Wind."
In an expansive oral history from Variety on the run of "The Last Kingdom," Dreymon credits Bernard Cornwell, the author of "The Saxon Stories" series of novels on which "The Last Kingdom" is based, with making the comparison between the story of "The Last Kingdom" and "Gone with the Wind." But he explains it pretty well on his own: "In 'Gone with the Wind,' you have the big story, which is the Civil War, and then the little story, which is Scarlett's story. And they flip the stories. The little story becomes the big story and they tell Scarlett's story with the backdrop of the war."
Viewers of The Last Kingdom and Seven Kings Must Die should be able to see the similarities
Alexander Dreymon goes on to note how the show follows a similar dramatic structure to the famous tale of Scarlett O'Hara, and how "The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die" serves in relation to the show's "little story," as Dreymon refers to it. "'The Last Kingdom' is the same thing," the actor says. "The big story is the creation of England and the little story is Uhtred and his quest for Bebbanburg. Season 5 wraps up Uhtred's story. The movie is really about wrapping up the big story, which is the creation of England."
Fans of "The Last Kingdom" and its concluding film "Seven Kings Must Die" may be interested in the comparison, especially if they're fans of either the novel or feature film versions of "Gone with the Wind." And if they're upset that much of the cast of the series doesn't return for the film, they should probably consider themselves fortunate that after Season 5 of the series, they got a whole movie to wrap up its "big story."