Hiroyuki Sanada in 'Shogun,' the new FX limited series based on the novel by James Clavell
(FX)

‘Shōgun’ Is Officially Returning

Hiroyuki Sanada is reportedly returning for a second season of the hit series.

FX and Hulu are officially bringing Shōgun back for not one, but two additional seasons.

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Per The Hollywood Reporter, FX and Hulu are developing two more seasons of Shōgun in collaboration with the estate of James Clavell, author of the acclaimed novel on which the series is based. Co-creators, executive producers, and writers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo are on board, along with Hiroyuki Sanada, who is also said to be involved with development. The networks are bringing writers in over the summer to work out how to expand upon the story.

Recently, Deadline reported that FX closed a deal with Hiroyuki Sanada to return for a second season of Shōgun, the limited series based on James Clavell’s classic novel. Sanada, who also produced the first season, would reprise his role as Yoshii Toranaga, the strategic lord of Kanto who breaks from the council of regents and allies with a similarly ambitious Englishman named John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis).

It’s hardly surprising that FX wants to continue Shōgun—the series is a massive streaming hit for FX and beloved by critics for its nuanced performances (asterisk Jarvis, whose boorish Blackthorne evokes an unhinged Tom Hardy—compliment), excellent writing, and stunning cinematography. All of which—combined with a sprawling recreation of 17th century Japan—has also made Shōgun an incredibly expensive project for FX, which spent a reported $250 million on the series.

Now that Shōgun season 2 is coming together, FX has moved to reclassify the series as a drama for the 2024 Emmy Awards, where it was initially set to compete as a limited series.


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Britt Hayes
Britt Hayes (she/her) is an editor, writer, and recovering film critic with over a decade of experience. She has written for The A.V. Club, Birth.Movies.Death, and The Austin Chronicle, and is the former associate editor for ScreenCrush. Britt's work has also been published in Fangoria, TV Guide, and SXSWorld Magazine. She loves film, horror, exhaustively analyzing a theme, and casually dissociating. Her brain is a cursed tomb of pop culture knowledge.