Shogun Season 2 gets major update with Hiroyuki Sanada

Shogun Season 2 may be going ahead, with Hiroyuki Sanada reportedly signing a deal to reprise his role as Lord Yoshii Toranaga.

Shogun has been FX’s biggest hit since The Bear, set to become the channel’s most-streamed series ever.

All good things must come to an end, and considering it was billed as a limited series, many rightly presumed it concluded with Episode 10, capping off one of the best TV shows of 2024 with a brilliant finale. However, it seems like the show’s success has paved the way for another chapter.

Sanada has “closed a deal” to return as Toranaga, according to Deadline. Details are scarce, as “other elements are still being worked out and deals are being finalized.” One thing seems clear, though: FX is keen to capitalize on Shogun’s commercial and critical success.

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Sanada is at the core of Shogun’s story, tracking Toronaga’s fraught conflict with his political rivals after John Blackthorne, an English sailor, washes ashore in Japan. But here’s the thing: it’s an open-and-close adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 novel, and considering the series reaches the end of the book, the possibility of a second season raises questions about what story it would tell.

Clavell’s Asian Saga includes five other books (King Rat, Tai-Pan, Noble House, Whirlwind, and Gai-Jin), but considering their timelines, it’s unlikely they’ll be adapted in any way. So, if Season 2 happens, expect an original story.

That said, the show’s writer’s Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo have been open about their nerves at the prospect. “But it’s also about, not even topping the book, but, how do you even equal the roadmap that Clavell laid out?” they told The Hollywood Reporter.

“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.”

You can find out everything else we know about Shogun Season 2, and catch yourself up with our Shogun ending explained.