Many Shōgun fans believed that the hit Japanese period drama would never return when the shocking finale concluded the miniseries earlier this year. Then the FX series—starring the great Hiroyuki Sanada—announced that it would return for two more seasons. After Shōgun became the most awarded series in a single year at the 76th annual Emmy Awards, the decision to keep the ball rolling is looking like a fantastic idea.
Sunday night saw a Shōgun sweep, with the FX show winning Outstanding Drama Series to become the most awarded show in a single year. Sanada won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and Anna Sawai took home the award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Sanada spoke in Japanese while accepting the award, thanking “the passion and dreams we have inherited, crossing oceans and borders.”
Earlier this year, Sanada told Esquire that he “never thought about season 2” while they were filming. “But as a producer, it’s not about me,” he continued. “I have to keep this platform for the Japanese cast and crew. And for the talent to tell Japanese stories. I cannot say no. I thought, Let’s give more chances for the next generation.” Sanada will also return as Lord Toranaga in the second season, alongside his duties as an executive producer. Given that we didn’t expect to see any more episodes after the season 1 finale, I’m beyond excited.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, cowriters Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo are also already in the early stages of writing the next seasons. “There’s a lot of chaos, but creative chaos,” Kondo revealed. “We’re throwing everything that we have at the wall, seeing what sticks. It’s been exciting and nerve-racking because, obviously, this is uncharted territory—we don’t have a road map, we just have history.”
The married couple is reportedly touring Japan and working with James Clavell’s estate to learn how the Shōgun author used real-life events and characters for his celebrated novel. “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,” Marks added. “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 make sure we can get to that point. But part two is, as second chapters go, kind of a darker chapter.”
Scary! Following Marks’s preview, let’s run down everything we know so far about the future of Shōgun.
Is Shōgun Really Returning for Season 2?
Heck yes it is. Let us kick it to FX’s press release: “FX, Hulu and the Estate of James Clavell are working to extend the critically acclaimed global hit drama Shōgun, moving forward to develop the saga with two additional seasons of the drama series. The show’s key creative partners including co-creators, executive producers and writers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, executive producer Michaela Clavell, and series star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada are on board for the development. Production timing has not been locked in, but a writers’ room is being assembled and will begin this summer.”
Shōgun is based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, which has a definitive ending that the FX series adapted in part. The author wrote many more novels after Shōgun as part of his “Asian Saga,” but none of the stories return to the same characters from Shōgun. Notably, FX’s press release says, “The story and characters are intended to continue the saga,” seemingly hinting that season 2 will pick up where season 1 left off. “It’s hard, but I will say that if there were any stories of any kind to be told, they would have to be just as good as the book, and I don’t know if those stories exist,” Marks told Esquire right before the season 1 finale.
Should the Shōgun team continue to explore the Tokugawa shogunate, there’s plenty of Japanese history after 1600 to adapt. After gaining the title of shōgun, Tokugawa consolidates power for the next 15 years. At 65 years old, he has a new task: to successfully turn the shogunate over to his son, Hidetada. He also maintains a friendship with John Blackthorne’s counterpart, William Adams. Eventually, he’s even forced to siege Osaka Castle when the Taikō’s heir finally comes of age and leads a rebellion. So Shōgun definitely has more story to tell.
"We don’t have James Clavell’s novel anymore, but we learned his spirit and the taste of storytelling,” Sanada told THR. “Keeping quality is the most important thing to me.”
