The creators behind the FX and Hulu series Shogun have offered an update on whether the samurai historical drama could return for Season 2.
The FX historical drama Shogun has concluded its ten-episode run, with the show's fate beyond now unclear as there are seemingly no Season 2 plans.
The series was based on a book of the same name by author James Clavell, which is just one of six in his "Asian Saga." The six-novel saga tells separate stories about Europeans in Asia over the years, ranging from 1600 to 1979.
Shogun Creator Weighs Season 2 Chances
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Shogun creator Justin Marks was asked whether Season 2 of the FX series will happen.
His response was simply "I don't know" because the goal was "to let everyone be on the same page" between the series and the novel it's based on:
"I don't know. I keep saying it’s like we want to let everyone be on the same page when it comes to the book. And hopefully now the TV audience and the book audience are on the same page with what the story is and where it resolves."
He offered a promising update saying how "if [they] could find a story" they "would be open" to continuing Shogun into Season 2:
"I think if we had a story, if we could find a story, we would be open to it. But I don’t think that anyone ever wants to be out over their skis without a roadmap and everything. And it’s also just about, do people want more of it?"
After the interviewer gave a resounding "yes" to the question of whether audiences want Season 2, Marks questioned how they could "even equal the roadmap" laid out by James Clavell (author of the book on which Shogun is based):
"But it’s also about, not even topping the book, but, how do you even equal the roadmap that Clavell laid out? And I don’t know if it’s possible. I don’t know if Clavell could have done it either. That’s probably why he moved on to other books too, right? He knew what he had done. Yeah, it’s a tough one."
In a previous sitdown with THR, Marks cast far more doubt on Shogun Season 2, explaining how the creators "love how the book ends:"
"We love how the book ends; it was one of the reasons why we both knew we wanted to do it — and we ended in exactly that place."
Meanwhile, star Hiroyuki Sanada gave CNN a cryptic "who knows" to questions about renewing the historical drama into a sophomore season.
Sanada also told THR how the Shogun team has been "talking about how the story can continue" since production began in September 2021:
"We’ve been talking about how the story can continue since we started shooting, but who knows."
[ Will Shogun Season 2 Happen? Producers Address FX Series' Potential Future (Exclusive) ]
Will Shogun Season 2 Ever Happen?
Shogun has drawn impressive reviews, garnering a 99% critic score and a 91% from audiences, while it currently holds an 8.9 score on IMDb.
And on the viewership front, Shogun's premiere took down The Bear Season 2 to become the biggest premiere for a FX series on Hulu with over 9 million viewers (via Variety).
So, with the series being a massive audience success, interest from both the network and fans for a second season is bound to be high, but will it happen?
As Shogun is a miniseries that told the complete story of the James Clavell novel on which it was based, the FX show isn't expected to return for Season 2.
Perhaps the creatives could find another story to tell, but having already shared a love for the ending, it would have to honor the original story.
As Shogun is part of the anthology "Asian Saga," the creatives could turn their attention to another of Clavell's novels. Chronologically, Shogun is the first of the bunch, with the next being Tai-Pan, which is set in 1841 Hong Kong.
If that were to happen, the sophomore outing would likely be billed as a fresh show as opposed to a second season.
But as it took over two years to get Shogun from its September 2021 start of filming to its February 2024 release, it would likely be a long wait for new episodes (at least 2027), especially as there are no scripts yet.
Shogun is streaming now on Hulu.
Read more about FX's Shogun series:
Shogun 2024 FX TV Series Vs. Book Differences Explained by Producer (Exclusive)
