‘The Last Kingdom’: Why Bernard Cornwell Dedicated His Final Book in the Series To Alexander Dreymon
The Netflix series The Last Kingdom has taken the world by storm, and it’s actually based on the wildly popular novel series by Bernard Cornwell of the same name. It’s safe to say that the television series wouldn’t be possible without the novels themselves, and fans are grateful for both.
In a recent interview, Cornwell reveals why his final book in the series, War Lord, is dedicated to Alexander Dreymon, the actor who plays Uhtred in the Netflix adaptation.
Why Bernard Cornwell dedicated his final book in the series to Alexander Dreymon
RadioTimes.com recently held a Q&A with Cornwell and Dreymon. The first question is about Cornwell’s very interesting choice to dedicate the final novel to Dreymon, which is honestly a really sweet gesture. It turns out it serves as a thank you to everyone who worked on the television series.
“Well it was a way of really thanking the whole film crew,” Cornwell explained. “Alexander has to stand in for all of his colleagues. Scores and scores of people who add so much value to the book. And I’ve also gotten very fond of Alexander over the last few years, even though when I was invited to have a cameo in the show, he murdered me…”
How Dreymon responded to the dedication
Dreymon only recently found out about the dedication, and he’s “over the moon about it.” He admits that they have “extraordinary” people who have worked in different roles on the series. He says it “means the world” to have this dedication, and honestly, who can blame him? It’s Cornwell’s final novel in the series, so this last dedication is especially meaningful for everyone involved.
“Uhtred murdered you,” Dreymon responds, all smiles. “Can I just jump in here, Bernard, because I’m genuinely getting a little bit emotional because I’ve only just found out about this and I haven’t spoken to Bernard yet. I found out yesterday because everybody from the cast sent me notes about it. And I’m so over the moon about it. I’m so so grateful to you Bernard, and first of all, I love that your dedication says that, ‘War Lord is dedicated to Alexander Dreymon, and he must stand for all the extraordinary actors, and producers, and directors, and writers, and technicians who have flattered these novels with their talents.’ And that’s really truly, we have an extraordinary crew, and an extraordinary cast, and an extraordinary production team. And the fact that you dedicated your last book to us, means the world.”
Just because this is the last novel in the series doesn’t mean it’s the last of Uhtred, at least not entirely. The Netflix series has already been renewed for a fifth season. Fans hope the show continues on and finishes out the novel series in its entirety. There is a lot of information to pull from the 13 books in the series, so there’s plenty to keep fans busy.
