In January 2025, the cameras will go to work to capture the next chapters of the story in the critically acclaimed TV series “Shogun”. Disney confirms that production on Season 2 is underway, but despite the plot’s deep roots in Japanese history, filming is not being carried out in the Sunrise Kingdom itself.
From miniseries to epic saga
Originally conceptualized as a closed miniseries, “Shogun” quickly grew into a cultural phenomenon after its premiere in 2023. The series, loosely based on James Clavell’s monumental 1975 novel, depicted with brutal honesty the power games in feudal Japan during the rise of the Tokugawa shōgunate – a period reminiscent of the real-life transition from the chaos of the Sengoku period to the Edo period order under Tokugawa Ieyasu.
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Now, with seasons 2 and 3 on the drawing board, the story takes a bold leap ten years into the future. This marks a complete break with Clavell’s original material, making the sequel an original work that should nevertheless “hook on the spirit” of the book, according to series creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks.
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The surviving warriors
Hiroyuki Sanada, whose portrayal of the strategic lord Yoshii Toranaga has already earned him Emmy recognition, returns alongside Cosmo Jarvis as English seafarer John Blackthorne. These two breakaways from different worlds now stand as the only remaining protagonists after the first season’s bloody conflicts – a situation reminiscent of how the story’s real-life Tokugawa Ieyasu outlived his rivals to eventually unite Japan.
Japan’s Lost Architecture Creates Challenges
Despite the plot’s deep connection to Japanese history, the production has to make do with Vancouver as a backdrop. FX CEO John Landgraf explains:
“The authentic medieval castles we need simply do not exist in Japan in their original form. Even if they did, strict conservation measures would have made filming on location impossible.”
This is reminiscent of the challenges Akira Kurosawa faced when filming “Ran” (1985), where he had to build entire Himeji castle in miniature in order to burn it down in the famous final scene.
Historical threads in new narrative
Although the story is now taking new paths, the creative team promises to weave in elements from Clavell’s novel that did not fit in the first season. This may indicate that we are seeing more of the historically inspired intrigues between Christian missionaries and the Japanese elite – a conflict that in reality led to the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637.
For fans of historical drama, this will be a unique case where fiction and fact can dance together in a game about power, cultural divides and human survival – even if the dance takes place on Canadian soil.
The next chapters in this East-West saga are expected to premiere in 2026.
