Shogunfans were equally excited and confused when it was announced that FX’s hit historical drama was being renewed for two more seasons. Based on the acclaimed and incredibly long novel by James Clavell, Season 1 (which was initially developed as a limited series) adapted the entirety of the book.Fans have been left wondering how theseries would continue without Clavell’s blueprint.But actor and producerHiroyuki Sanada(who plays Lord Toranaga inShogun), is hoping to put their worries at ease as he’s outlined how the series could continue beyond the source material.
Sanada appeared onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertto discuss his role inShogunand the show’sstaggering 26 Primetime Emmy nominations. During the conversation, the actor updated fans on the status ofShogun’s new seasons,and hinted at how the story could continue.
Shogun (2024)
The actor revealed that the writers' room has just opened up, and showrunners Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, along with the rest of the writing staff, are currently brainstorming ideas for future seasons. WhileShogundoesn’t have Clavell’s novel to pull from anymore, the book and the show arerenowned for their historical accuracy,and that’s how the series could continue in the future. Hiroyuki Sanada said:
“Even [though] we don’t have [the] novel anymore — we used it in season one. But we know how to do the storytelling, and also we have real history… real models. So we know what happened in [reality]…We just started to prepare. [The] writing room’s open.”
Shogun Seasons 2 & 3 Could Feature More Action
Shoguntells the story of Lord Toranaga’s mission to become the Shogun (ruler) of Japan, and re-unite the country after decades of war and civil unrest. Aided by English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), Toranaga is a master tactician, and frequently out-thinks his opponents, rather than resorting to large-scale battles and wars of attrition. Season 1 seemingly built up to a massivebattle between Toranaga and his main rival, Lord Ishido (Takehiro Hira). However, fans were blindsided to learn that Toranaga had secretly been planning an alternative way to out Ishido by turning his own people against him, without the need for war.
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The plot twist is a genius piece of writing, both in the novel and FX’s series. However,some fans were upset that they never got to see two gigantic armies of samurai clash on-screen. While Season 1 never featured any massive battles,Hiroyuki Sanada teased that future seasons could give in to these desires for more action. Sanada explained:
“[In] Episode 10, [Toranaga] reveals [his] dream [of] what’s going to happen in the future. But [it] never happened in Season one. So it can be happening in Season two and three, hopefully.”
Seasons 2 and 3 ofShogunhaven’t officially been confirmed to be moving into production. At the time of writing, ideas are being developed and discussed for future seasons. If Marks and Kondo, and the studio heads at FX are interested in moving forward with those ideas, thenShogunSeason 2 will likely move forward quickly after getting the official greenlight.
