Starz buys German-born Viking film

US premium pay channel Starz has acquired all North American rights to a German-produced feature film about a botched Viking invasion of Britain.

The network has bought Northmen – A Viking Saga from European indie distributor Ascot Elite Entertainment Group.

The deal hands Starz full North American distribution rights, including an exclusive pay TV window for one of its channels.

Ascot Elite-owned prodco Elite Filmproduktion, which is based in Germany, led the coproduction, which also counts Jumping Horse Film and Two Oceans Production from the UK as partners.

Northmen follows a group of banished Viking invaders that find themselves stranded on the Scottish Coast and up against a ruthless mercenary army.

“Northmen is visually stunning, full of action and just the type of film fans will love across any platform,” commented Kevin Kasha, head of acquisitions for Starz. “We’re so pleased the filmmakers selected Starz as the home for its film.”

Another drama set in a fictionalised past Scotland, Outlander, has this year proven a big success for Starz, which last week revealed its plan for an international SVOD service.