The series based on the novel by James Clavell will return for more seasons after a successful adaptation by FX and Hulu.
When FX decided to adapt Shogunthe author’s best-selling 1975 novel James Clavell, the network envisioned the historical samurai epic as a limited series. However, the adaptation has done remarkably well, with FX, Hulu and the Clavell estate announcing that the critically acclaimed series would return for additional seasons.
Paying great attention to detail and effectively fulfilling the plots of the source material, the first season of Shogun covered the entirety of Clavell’s novel. The series’ key creative partners are on board for upcoming seasons. This includes the executive producer Michaela Clavell already the star and producer of the series Hiroyuki Sanadathe co-creators, executive producers and writers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondowho already have a plan regarding what comes next.
Speaking with Variety, Marks and Kondo revealed that they had held a meeting with FX president Gina Balian and executive producer Michaela Clavell, the daughter of author Clavell, to discuss what’s next.
Marks explains that they “presented the first kernels of, ‘We’re not sure we should do this, but if we did, this is how we thought it might start.’ And we gave them that scene and we felt like they were moving like that, and it felt like that! really good!”. Kondo adds that during that conversation, disagreements arose around the characters going forward, which was intriguing “because if it was already generating a conversation and it was already something we wanted to get into, then maybe there was something there.” Marks adds, “There were a lot of questions that we thought were still unanswered in the story.”
Shogun has a clear destiny in mind
At the end of Shogun’s explosive final episode, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Sanada) emerged victorious, but we don’t actually see him become Shogun. “The main character does not become the main character”says Marks, but notes that Clavell’s book had been covered, so “there are no paths to where we’re going.”
Looking ahead, Marks and Kondo will draw on the annals of history, seeking inspiration from the real-life characters who inspired Clavell’s book, and have begun “really just building that together in a way that started to feel Like, ‘Oh, I think we have to do this. I think we really love this idea.’” The couple is in no way clueless, as they already have an ending for the series in mind, Marks reveals: “We know how it ends. all this in the final moment. And once we saw that moment, we said, ‘Oh, now we have to get to that.’
Shogun, is set in medieval Japan in the early 17th century and stars Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who fights for survival against the Council of Regents who seek his destruction in a time of political upheaval. The English pilot of an abandoned European ship, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), could hold the secrets that tip the balance of power. His fate soon becomes intertwined with that of Toranaga and that of his translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a mysterious Christian noblewoman.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
