Rated 4.4 out of 5, the best series of the year will not have a sequel

In the cutthroat world of television, renewals are often debated, but there are rare occasions when a series continuation is obvious. Shogun definitely falls into that second category: a critical and public triumph (4.4 average out of 5 on AlloCiné), the series also signed the all-time best start for a new release from the FX channel.

The series is inspired by James Clavel’s novel Shogun, which was already adapted in 1980 starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune. Inspired by the true story of English sailor William Adams, the program immerses us in Japan in the 1600s, where rival clans share the country’s regency.

This is the new Game of Thrones!

This new Shogun adaptation benefited from a comfortable budget. Due to reasons particularly related to Covid, the desire to film in Japan unfortunately could not be fulfilled; So the filming took place in Vancouver, Canada, a region that nevertheless is ideally suited for samurai stories according to Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada.

Since its release on February 27, the series has received great viewership. Shogun has also received very good feedback from internet users, notably showing a 100% positive review score on the Rotten Tomatoes site. A triumph that earned him the title “New Game of Thrones”.

A sequel that even the author of the novel could not write

But quickly, hopes for a second season were dashed by the words of series creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo. The latter relied on James Clavell’s novel to write the program, and the entire book was adapted for ten episodes this season. Due to a lack of available material, a sequel was never considered by the pair of screenwriters.

in the given interview The Hollywood ReporterThe American screenwriter reiterated that it is impossible to come up with a sequel to Shogun. “How to do it like Clavel’s road map, I don’t know if it’s possible.” he said. “I don’t know if Clavell could have done that. Maybe that’s why he wrote the other books afterwards, right? He knew what was best for him. It’s very difficult.”

What about Shogun Anthology?

Other books mentioned by Justin Marks are Other Novels of the Asian Saga, an anthology literary cycle that traces the history of Asia through fiction. This saga notably includes the novel Un caïd (inspired by his own experiences as a prisoner of war) or his other masterpiece Taï-Pan, which deals with the Opium War in Hong Kong in the 1840s.

But adapting these other novels to give Shogun anthology sequels won’t be easy, according to the screenwriter: “For example, in Fargo, we follow different stories that take place in the same place, while the events of the Asian saga take place around the world.

The Shogun miniseries is now available to watch in its entirety on Disney+.

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