Posted in: FX, Hulu, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: fx, James Clavell, season 2, shogun

Shōgun S02 Writers' Room Running; Possible Early 2025 Production Start

FX boss John Landgraf offered a brief update on the Shōgun Season 2 writers' room and when they would like to start production on the season.

It's not like FX boss John Landgraf needed to wait until today's Emmy Awards nominations to make the decision on series co-creators, executive producers, and writers Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks' Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, and Hiroyuki Sanada-starring Shōgun. The series had the critical praise and the viewing/streaming numbers to more than justify a return – which is why the news broke back in May that FX Networks confirmed that they and Hulu were working with the estate of Shōgun author James Clavell to develop a second and possibly third season. Marks, Kondo, and EP Michaela Clavell are returning  – with Sanada returning as Lord Yoshii Toranaga. While there were reports that a writers' room was being assembled, it wasn't clear what the source material would be in terms of remaining within the original novel's universe or involving some of Clavell's other works. Flash ahead to today's Emmy nominations, which made the decision an even wiser one as Shōgun earned 25 nominations. Speaking with Variety about FX Networks' Emmy noms success, Landgraf was able to offer a quick writers' room update as well as some thought on how quickly a second season could hit screens.

"I was speaking to Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo this morning, congratulating them. They had just stepped out of the writers' room and are happily at work," Landgraf shared, offering an update on his last one-on-one with the show's creators. While the FX boss has a time frame in mind for when production could get underway, Landgraf added the reminder that a series with the scope that Shōgun has means a longer production time. "We're hoping to be in production relatively early next year," he revealed. "But it's a long production period. I think between principal and second unit days of photography, that show shot between 180 and 190 days or more, could have been close to 200."

FX's 10-episode limited series "Shōgun" is set in Japan in the year 1600, at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Producer Hiroyuki Sanada stars as "Lord Yoshii Toranaga" who is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him. When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, its English pilot, "John Blackthorne" (Cosmo Jarvis), comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne's own enemies — the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants.

Toranaga's and Blackthorne's fates become inextricably tied to their translator, "Toda Mariko" (Anna Sawai), a mysterious Christian noblewoman and the last of a disgraced line. While serving her lord amidst this fraught political landscape, Mariko must reconcile her newfound companionship with Blackthorne, her commitment to the faith that saved her and her duty to her late father.

The cast of FX's 10-episode limited series Shōgun includes Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige, a notorious backstabber and close ally of Toranaga; Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi, the young leader of the fishing village where Blackthorne's ship was found; Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari, a powerful bureaucrat who is Toranaga's chief rival; Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji, a widow who must find new purpose amidst her lord's fight; Tokuma Nishioka as Toda Hiromatsu, Toranaga's trusted general and closest friend; Shinnosuke Abe as Toda Hirokatsu (Buntaro), Mariko's jealous husband; Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado, the brash son of Toranaga with a strong desire to prove himself; and Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba no Kata, the revered mother of the heir who will stop at nothing to put an end to Toranaga and his threat to her son's power.

Produced by FX Productions, the limited series sees Marks serving as showrunner and executive-producing alongside Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, and Kondo (with Hiroyuki Sanada serving as a producer).

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