There’s more Shōgun in store. In a joint press release, FX, Hulu, and the estate of James Clavell have announced that the smash hit series about imperial 17th-century Japan will officially be returning for at least two more seasons.
The news comes on the heels of a Deadline report that Shōgun star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada had signed on to reprise his role as military dictator Lord Yoshii Toranaga for another season. Per the press release, Sanada will in fact return to develop the next season of the series alongside executive producer Michaela Clavell, as well as co-creators, executive producers, and writers Justin Marks and Rachel Konodo.
There’s been plenty of speculation about the future of Shōgun, which was initially billed as a limited series. Though the first season adapted the entirety of James Clavell’s bestselling novel, fans wondered whether a second might draw from one of the other novels in Clavell’s six book “Asia Saga” series. If it did, that would have meant a new story with a brand new cast and characters. Per the release, though, Shōgun’s “story and characters are intended to continue the saga” for “likely two more seasons”—meaning that Sanada's Lord Yoshii Toranaga will once again be at the center of the story.
According to FX, Shōgun is the most popular show in FX network history based on global streaming numbers. Now that it’s confirmed to return, Shōgun has also officially shaken up award season, shifting categories from limited series to drama series at the 2024 Emmys—which will mean facing off against series like Netflix’s The Crown, Apple TV+’s The Morning Show and HBO’s The Gilded Age at September’s ceremony.
Ahead, a look at everything we know—and have yet to learn—about the second season of Shōgun.
Who will return for season 2 of Shōgun?
So far, only Sanada has been confirmed as returning to the series—which is, as of now, in the development stage. As the actor previously told Vanity Fair, “The novel’s events finish with our [finale], episode 10. If they want to make something more, it’s going to be totally original. Who knows? The model of Shōgun makes it easy to see what happened in real life, and then we can create an original story from then. Who knows? We have history.”
The future is less clear for other characters, including Cosmo Jarvis’s Jack Blackthorne. He previously told VF about how difficult it was to leave the role behind at the end of filming for season one. “Blackthorne totally preoccupied and consumed me, and had for so long,” he said. “When it came to the final shot, it was just horrific, because it’s only then that I suppose Blackthorne had to be left behind and all of these adventures had to be left behind. And it was just kind of sad, you know? I suppose in a way it was relieving, but also, then you’re just another unemployed actor, and you don't know what's going to come next.”
There are at least a few beloved characters who will not return, as long as the second season follows a linear format. Tadanobu Asano’s Yabushige, who is sentenced to commit seppuku, a noble form of taking one’s own life, by Lord Toranaga in the finale. In the season’s penultimate episode, it is Anna Sawai’s Lady Mariko who meets her death in an act of similar sacrifice.
When does Shōgun season 2 come out?
Given that the show is currently only in the development stage, there’s no firm release date to share. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last month, Marks noted the “long tail of postproduction” on the show, which could prolong the waiting period before a follow-up. “It’s not like a normal TV series, where if we were in a situation like this promoting it, we wouldn’t just be in the writers room already,” he explained. “We’d be on set shooting season two by now.” Per the FX press release, production timing has not been locked in, but a writers’ room is scheduled to begin this summer.
This post has been updated.
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
Monica Lewinsky on 25 Ways to Calm the F--k Down Before the Election
The Second Coming of Guru Jagat
Why Isn’t Melania’s No. 1 Bestseller Flying Off Bookstore Shelves?
Kamala Harris Isn’t Repeating the Mistakes of 2016
Stanley Tucci: “After The Devil Wears Prada, I Couldn’t Get a Job”
How Barron Trump’s Best Friend Is Shaping the 2024 Podcast Offensive
John Williams’s Dark Days Before Jaws and Star Wars
Here’s What a Taylor Swift Thank-You Note Looks Like
Sign Up for Cocktail Hour, VF’s Essential Daily Brief