Shogun Fans were both excited and confused when it was announced that FX’s hit historical drama would be renewed for two more seasons. Season 1 (which was originally developed as a miniseries) was based on the acclaimed and incredibly long novel by James Clavell, adapting the entire book. Fans wonder how the series would continue without Clavell’s blueprint. But actor and producer Hiroyuki Sanada (who plays Lord Toranaga in Shogun), hopes to ease their concerns by outlining how the series could continue beyond the source material.
Sanada appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert to talk about his role in Shogun and the show’s stunning 26 Primetime Emmy nominations. During the conversation, the actor updated fans on the status of Shogunthe new seasons of and hinted at how the story might continue.
The actor revealed that the writers’ room has just opened and showrunners Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, along with the rest of the writing team, are currently brainstorming ideas for future seasons. Shogun can no longer draw on Clavell’s novel, but the book and series are known for their historical accuracy, and so the series may continue in the future. Hiroyuki Sanada said:
“Although we don’t have the novel anymore, we used it in the first season. But we know how to tell stories and we also have real history… real models. So we know what happened in reality… We’ve just started prepping. The writers’ room is open.”
Shogun seasons 2 and 3 could offer more action
Shogun tells the story of Lord Toranaga’s mission to become Shogun (ruler) of Japan and reunify the country after decades of war and civil unrest. Aided by English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), Toranaga is a master tactician and often outwits his opponents rather than resorting to large-scale battles and wars of attrition. Season 1 seemed to point to a massive battle between Toranaga and his main rival Lord Ishido (Takehiro Hira). However, fans were completely surprised to learn that Toranaga had secretly planned another way to overthrow Ishido by turning his own people against him without the need for war.
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The plot twist is a brilliant piece of writing, both in the novel and in the FX series. Some fans were disappointed that they never got to see two huge samurai armies clash on screen. While there were no major battles in Season 1, Hiroyuki Sanada hinted that future seasons could indulge this desire for more actionSanada explained:
“(In) episode 10, (Toranaga) reveals (his) dream (of) what will happen in the future. But (that) never happened in season one. So hopefully it can happen in seasons two and three.”
Seasons 2 and 3 of Shogun has not yet been officially confirmed to begin production. At the time of writing, ideas for future seasons are being developed and discussed. If Marks and Kondo and the studio heads at FX are interested in moving those ideas forward, then Shogun Season 2 will likely move forward quickly after the official release.
Shogun
Season 1 is streaming on Hulu.
