'Vikings' creator Michael Hirst's new project 'Doctor Zhivago' will bring to life an epic tale of love, war and revolution

Fans believe that Michael Hirst will do more than justice to 'Doctor Zhivago' as he can transcend the love story and zoom in to the political climate during the Russian Revolution.
PUBLISHED APR 9, 2019

Exit our favorite seafaring warriors and enter 'Doctor Zhivago'. 

The upcoming installation of 'Vikings' will be the last, and while we have a brief idea about what's coming next for our favorite 'Vikings,' characters,  the creator of the show, Michael Hirst, has a new TV project and fans can't wait to see  how the showrunner of the epic period drama will recreate the love story set in the backdrop of the Russian Revolution.

The classic novel 'Doctor Zhivago,' by Boris Pasternak is no stranger to big screens and small and was famously translated into a 1965 feature film by David Lean starring Omar Sharif. The 'War and Peace' writer Andrew also adapted it in 2002 as a miniseries starring Sam Neill and Keira Knightley.

Now, Hirst is developing the famous story of the gifted physician-poet, Zhivago as an eight-part series. Though there isn't much of a similarity between Hirst's flagship History Channel show and the upcoming period drama set in the backdrop of the Russian Revolution, fans have pointed out some similarities. Mainly the fact that both season 6 of 'Vikings' and the new project takes place in Russia.

Season 5 concluded with Bjorn Ironside ( Alexander Ludwig) taking the throne of Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen), who escapes to Rus, which is located in modern-day Russia. Fans opine that the majority of the course of action in the final season of 'Vikings' will take place in Rus, as even Ivar's dead wife, Freydis (Alicia Agneson) seems to be resurrected in the kingdom. Whereas in the 'Doctor Zhivago' version of Russia, the heroine is referred to as the "magical" Lara. There's some magic to the upcoming project of Hirst's and it's not just the place.

The end of one epic saga only means the beginning of another. 'Vikings,' which began in 2013 and took over the world by storm is coming to an end, however, this mini-series will be a short binge compared to the first time it made headlines in 1965. The film on 'Doctor Zhivago,' ran for 3 hours and 17 minutes, making the critics criticize the length of the movie along with the storyline that focused on romance more than the revolution.

In later years, the film actually rose to critical acclaim as it bagged five Oscar nominations and even won one. 'Vikings,' with all of its cult following and growing fandom has been nominated quite a few times for the Emmys. Given that Hirst's 'Midas' touch is a real deal, the end of the 'Vikings,' is only the beginning of what is more to come from the 66-year-old screenwriter, who basically is the master of historical fiction.

In a statement to Deadline, Hirst said; "There are many people in the world today who are suffering as a consequence of wars, revolutions and societal disintegration. This project pushes the boundaries of the movie and will embrace the larger story of Dr. Zhivago’s own journey into the vortex of revolution; and it deliberately connects more with events today, from Latin America to the streets of Paris."

Writer/producer Michael Hirst attends a media room for the History series 'Vikings' during Comic-Con 2014 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel on July 25, 2014 in San Diego, California.

Of course, it is not fair  to compare the shows on two different themes and timeline, but there's so much to look forward to especially Hirst's take on Vikings period of Rus, to the time of the Russian Revolution, which fans believe the showrunner will do much justice to and go beyond a tumultuous love story. We know that 'Vikings' and 'Tudors' creator can stir both love and war effortlessly.



 



 

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