The record-breaking series Shōgun will not begin filming until January 2026, according to an official press release issued today (April 30).
The drama won 18 awards at last years Emmys, setting the record for the most won by a series in a single season. It also swept the Golden Globes in January, taking home four major awards.
The historical series, set in 1600s Japan, is also the most watched show in the history of US network FX, and earned 9million viewers across international streaming services, including UK broadcaster Disney+, after it debuted in February 2024. However, fans may have to wait longer than expected for the follow-up.
The press release revealed: “Global hit drama series Shōgun, based on the novel of the same name by James Clavell, is scheduled to begin physical production for season two in January in Vancouver, it was announced today by Gina Balian, President, FX Entertainment”.
Production would begin nearly two years after the first season aired, meaning an even longer wait for fans to see the finished second season.
They went on to recap the plot, saying: “In the first season, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) fought for his survival as his enemies in the Council of Regents united against him. When a mysterious European ship was found marooned in a nearby village, its English pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) shared vital strategic secrets with Toranaga that tipped the scales of power in his favor to win a century-defining civil war”.
It then revealed the premise of the forthcoming season, writing: “Part two of Shōgun is set ten years after the events of the first season and continues the historically-inspired saga of these two men from different worlds whose fates are inextricably entwined”.
The book that the show is based on was previously adapted into a miniseries in 1980, also called Shōgun. The director of that version, Jerry London, dismissed the latest incarnation in February.
“I’ve talked to many people that have watched it,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “They said, ‘I had to turn it off because I don’t understand it.’ So, the filmmakers of the new one really didn’t care about the American audience”.
In March, the 1980 miniseries’ star, Richard Chamberlain, passed away aged 90.