One of 2024’s highly successful TV series,Shōgun, will be back with asecond and third season,as announced earlier in May, and of course, fans can’t keep still to seeHiroyuki SanadaandCosmo Jarvisreturn for more historical politics. While news of the upcoming installments has been scarce, Sanada, who stars as the powerful Lord Yoshii Toranaga, has given a few hints toVarietyabout the show’s second season, pointing at the scribes and potentially returning cast.
Speaking aboutJames Clavell’s 1975 novel,which inspiredShõgun, Sanada said: “We don’t have the novel. Freedom is there. I hope our writers will enjoy the freedom and respect the novel, of course.” He then gave a vague remark about Jarvis’ character John Blackthorne, who may or may not return. According to theJohn Wickactor, half the existing cast will be back, and “the other half will be new characters coming in.”
Besides starring in the lead role ofthe Emmy-nominated series, Sanada gave a hand in production, which, to him, “made a huge difference this time around.” He explained, “This story is fictional entertainment, based on a true story and inspired by history. To make the story and character believable, we needed to make authentic details.” With this, the Japanese actor went the extra mile to ensure every element of the production was true to that eraas portrayed inShōgunand not modern Japanese.
‘Shogun’ Creator Teases a “Darker” Season 2
WhileShogunwas initially created as a limited series, its incredible success naturally promptedFXto expand the storyline to include two more seasons. ShowrunnersJustin MarksandRachel Kondoalready know the end of Season 3, as revealed back in June at an FX FYC event, withMarks also teasing that Season 2 will be darkerand provide a deeper insight into the show’s history and characters.
Elaborating onShogunSeason 2, Marks said:
“There’s a lot of great conspiracy theory in history, a lot of different theories about, ‘Oh, it was said that this went on, but this really went on,’ and those little darker corners are what we’ve really enjoyed exploring. The third season is really an ending. We know where it starts, and we know where it ends, and we know who is there on that journey. We’re just focusing on part two right now to really verify we can get to that point. But part two is, as the second chapters go, kind of a darker chapter.”
ShogunSeason 1 is available to stream on Hulu. Stay tuned at Collider for more updates.
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.
