FX
FX’s global phenomenon Shogun is officially gearing up for its next chapter, with Season 2 confirmed for production in January and bringing new cast, writers and directors to the Emmy Award-winning blockbuster. Disney revealed a major update during The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific’s Disney+ Original Preview in Hong Kong, giving fans the clearest image yet of what’s to come.
New cast and returning cast revealed
Season 2 is set 10 years after the events of Season 1, and FX has confirmed that new and returning players are actively participating in the conflict. Asami Mizukawa will play the role of Aya, Masataka Kubota will play Hinata, Sho Kaneda will play Hidenobu, Takaaki Enoki will play Lord Ito, and Jun Kunimura will play Goda.
New Season 2 cast members (from left to right): Asami Mizukawa (“Aya”), Jun Kunimura (“Goda”), Sho Kaneda (“Hidenobu”), Masataka Kubota (“Hinata”), Takaaki Enoki (“Lord Ito”)
They are Hiroyuki Sanada who plays Lord Toranaga and Cosmo Jarvis who plays Blackthorn, and Season 1’s favorites Fumi Nikaido (Ochiha) and Shinnosuke Abe (Written). He joins Hiroto Kanai (Omi), Yoriko Horaguchi (Kiri), Tommy Bastow (Arvito), Yuko Miyamoto (Jin), Eita Okuno (Saeki), and Yuka Kouri (Kiku).
Production begins in January
The highly anticipated second season will begin filming in Vancouver at the beginning of the new year. U.S. viewers will once again be able to watch episodes via FX and stream them on Hulu, while viewers overseas, including Australia, will watch them exclusively on Disney+. All episodes of the award-winning first season are available to stream now.
Director/screenwriter lineup
FX used an event in Hong Kong to announce the creative team behind season two. Sequel directors Hiromi Kamata (Season 1, Episode 6, “The Women of Willow World”) and Takeshi Fukunaga (Season 1, Episode 7, “The Stick of Time”) are joined by Anthony Byrne (Say Nothing), Kate Herron (Loki), and co-creator Justin Marks.
The writing team includes a number of returning creators, including Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks, Shannon Goss, Matt Lambert, Megan Huang, Emily Yoshida, Kailyn Puente, and Sophie Somolov, and is the same writers room that closed earlier this year.
What’s in Season 2?
The new season continues the story inspired by the history of two men whose lives are deeply intertwined, even though they are from opposite sides of the world. The first season depicted Toranaga’s fight for survival as political enemies loomed and the balance of power radically shifted with the arrival of British pilot John Blackthorne.
The second part jumps forward ten years, and FX describes it as a continuation of the “historically inspired story” that follows the consequences of Toranaga’s rise and the alliances, betrayals, and upheavals that lie ahead.
Record-breaking first season
The hype for season 2 was built on the back of an amazing award-winning run. Shogun Season 1 earned a record 18 Emmy Awards, the most for a single-season series, and gave FX its first-ever Outstanding Drama Series win. Hiroyuki Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win Best Actor in a Drama Series, and Anna Sawai made history by becoming the first Asian actress to win Best Actress in a Drama Series.
The global reputation didn’t stop there. The series won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, AFI TV Program of the Year, and received top honors from the SAG, WGA, DGA, PGA, TCA, Independent Spirit Awards, and more.
