When FX decided to adaptShōgun, the 1975 blockbuster novel by authorJames Clavell, the network envisioned the historical samurai epic as a limited series. However, the adaptation has performed remarkably well, FX, Hulu, and Clavell’s estate have announced that the critically acclaimed serieswould be returning for additional seasons. Paying great attention to detail andeffectively delivering on the plotlines in the source material, the first season ofShōgun, covered the entirety of Clavell’s novel. The series' key creative partners are on board for its coming seasons. This includes executive producerMichaela Clavell, and series star and producerHiroyuki Sanada, co-creators, executive producers, and writersJustin MarksandRachel Kondo, who already have a plan regarding what comes next.
Speaking with Variety, Marks and Kondo revealed that they’d held a meeting with FX presidentGina Balianand executive producer Michaela Clavell - the author Clavell’s daughter - to discuss what comes next. Marks explains that they “presented the first kernels of, “We’re not sure we should do this, but if we did, here’s how we thought it might start.” And we gave them that scene, and we felt them go likethis— and it felt really good!” Kondo adds that during that conversation, disagreements surrounding the characters going forward which was intriguing “because if it was already sparking conversation and it was already kind of something we wanted to get into, then maybe there was something there.” Marks adds, “There were a lot of questions that we felt were still unanswered in the story.”
‘Shōgun’ Has A Clear Destination In Mind
By the end ofShōgun’s explosive final episode, Sanada’s Lord Yoshii Toranaga emerged victorious, but we don’t actually see him become Shōgun. “The title character doesn’t become the title character,” Marks says, but notes that Clavell’s book had been covered, so “there are no roads where we’re going.” Looking forward, Marks and Kondo will rely on the annals of history, seeking todraw inspiration from the real life charactersthat inspired Clavell’s book, and they’ve begun “really just building that together into a shape that started to feel like, ‘Oh, I think wehaveto do this. I think we reallylovethis idea.'” The pair is by no means rudderless, as they already have an ending for the series in mind, Marks reveals: “We know how all of this ends in the final moment. And once we saw that moment, we said, ‘Oh, now we have to get to that. Now we have to do that.’… We think we have something that is exciting and surprising.”
Shōgun, is set in medieval Japan in the early 1600s and stars Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who fights for survival againstthe Council of Regents which seek his destructionin a time of political unrest. The English pilot of marooned European ship,John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), might hold the secrets that tip the balance of power. His fate is soon intertwined with Toranaga’s and that of their translator,Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a mysterious Christian noblewoman.
Stay tuned to Collider for more details on the upcoming new seasons ofShōgunwhen they’re released.
Shogun (2024)
When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, Lord Yoshii Toranaga discovers secrets that could tip the scales of power and devastate his enemies.
