Boasting stunning cinematography, detailed character work, and an intricately layered plot that gets deep into the fog of war, FX's sweeping, feudal Japan-set epic Shōgun has been one of the great limited series of 2024. Or at least it was — because now it is a limited series no more! As reported by Deadline, the critically acclaimed adaptation of James Clavell's 1975 Asia Saga novel is set to return for Season 2 and 3 (and possibly more).
With reports emerging last week that series star Hiroyuki Sanada had inked a deal to return as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, and the show gearing up for a big Emmys campaign in the Drama rather than Limited series categories, news of the historical epic's renewal comes as no surprise. Also unsurprising to learn is that, as well as Sanada's commitment to the show's future, series co-creators and writers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo — as well as exec producer Michaela Clavell — are aboard for more scheming, plotting, and prestige drama. The trio, alongside FX, are working with Clavell's estate to develop the upcoming instalments within the world the legendary author established.
It will be interesting, though, to see the direction that future seasons take the show in – this one very much was made and planned to exist as its own limited series before it became a wildly successful global phenomenon. Marks himself even stated in a THR interview earlier this year, "We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence. 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."
But clearly there are more stories to be told in the Shōgun-verse yet. Could we see the real-life Battle of Sekigahara — teed up but not seen in the first season — play out on our screens? Will we find out the ultimate fate of Cosmo Jarvis' Anjin, John Blackthorne, whose ship was found destroyed in Episode 10? Might the show adopt an anthology approach even and shift its focus elsewhere within Clavell's Asia Saga? Only time will tell. But whichever direction Shōgun takes, you can bet we'll all be watching.