Manchester City's Erling Haaland making film debut

Erling Haaland is making his film debut voicing a Viking.

The Manchester City forward - who hails from Norway - stars as Natch in Viqueens, an family animated adventure-comedy that follows fearless Vikings Ingrid and Hedvig on their expedition from Norway to China.

Norwegian director Harald Zwart, 60, told The Hollywood Reporter: "As a Norwegian storyteller making a Viking adventure for a global audience, having Erling Haaland join ViQueens feels incredibly exciting.

"Erling has already become a kind of real-life Viking icon around the world - powerful, fearless, and uniquely Norwegian. Bringing him into this universe as himself gives the film an unexpected energy and authenticity that felt completely right for this story."

The signing of 25-year-old Haaland - who boasts more than 40 million Instagram followers - will boost the project on the international stage.

Solveig Langeland, managing director of Sola Media, said: "Erling Haaland transcends sports – he’s a global cultural figure.

"His involvement brings another exciting dimension to a film that already combines international adventure, humor, and emotional storytelling in a way we believe will resonate with audiences everywhere."

ViQueens will see the football star join a star-studded cast, including pop star Rita Ora, 35, and Fallout alum Ella Purnell, 29, who voice lead characters Hedvig and Ingrid, respectively.

The pair are no strangers to working on animation projects, as Hot Right Now hitmaker Ora voiced Wondering Blade in the Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight series, and Purnell voiced Jinx in the series Arcane.

According to the ViQueens website, the movie's synopsis reads: "ViQueens is a Norwegian animated film about two Viking girls, Ingrid and Hedvig, who set out on an epic adventure from the Viking realm of Lofotr to the Emperor’s palace in China.

"A story about courage, friendship, and choosing your own path."

Other cast members include Star Wars – Episode One: The Phantom Menace's Steve Speirs, 61 (King Erik), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides star Anton Lesser, 74 (Lars), and 49-year-old comedian Alan Carr (Bard).

Frozen composer Christophe Beck, 58, is in charge of the original score for ViQueens.

Zwart - who was behind the 2010 family-action revival of The Karate Kid - penned the screenplay alongside Veslemoy Ruud Zwart and Stella Zwart.

ViQueens - created by Karve Animation - hits the big screen in late 2026.

It is set to launch in Norway on Christmas Day (25.12.26) and on over 2,000 screens in the United States.

Ticket information will be announced closer to ViQueens' premiere.