Shōgun Season 2 Gets Exciting Update Following Emmy Success

Production is officially moving ahead on Season 2 of FX’s Shōgun, as the production team are currently scouting for locations and finalizing scripts. While Season 1 was shot on various sound stages, all intricately designed to recreate 17th century Japan, Seasons 2 and 3 could get the real deal. Season 1 of FX’s hit historical drama dominated this year’s Primetime Emmys, breaking the record for the most awards from a single season of television (with 18 wins). Despite being a complete adaptation of James Clavell’s novel of the same name, showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, along with star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada, have their targets set on moving past the book and continuing the story of Lord Toranaga in future seasons.

Speaking to Deadline following the Emmys, chairman of FX Content and FX Productions, John Landgraf, said pre-production is going strong on Season 2 of Shōgun. When future seasons were first announced, it was noted that neither Seasons 2 nor 3 were confirmed, as their production being greenlit depended on the success of the writing rooms. The writing process was apparently a successful venture, as Landgraf says “We’re moving forward.” The chairman explained the current state of the project, adding:

“We’re moving forward. Scripts are coming in, outlines are coming in, we’re trying to figure out where we’re going to shoot it, whether we’re going to shoot in the exact same manner and place we did before or whether we’re going to make some changes.”

Season 1 of Shōgun was commended by everyone for its dedication to historical authenticity. Everything from the costumes, to the weapons, to the rituals, and even the Japanese dialect were pulled straight from the annals of history. The only thing standing in its way was the shooting location. For Seasons 2 and 3, Hiroyuki Sanada has outlined his hopes to move production to Japan, something which Landgraf is very excited about — if not slightly skeptical about the production logistics. He said:

“I’ve always wanted to shoot in Japan. We tried really hard to figure out how to shoot this show in Japan. It is complicated because of the scale of the stage base and the scale of the production capacity there is just a little different. Unfortunately, medieval Japan, the castles are not around in their prior form and frankly if they were, you wouldn’t be able to shoot there anyway.”

Seasons 2 & 3 of Shōgun Will Be Shot Separately

Fans were surprised to hear that FX had ordered a second season of Shōgun (as the original was billed as a limited series), but they were more even more surprised about FX ordering two new seasons. Many have suggested that Marks and Kondo will likely shoot Seasons 2 and 3 back-to-back, shortening the release gap between each season. However, Landgraf confirmed that each season is its own project, and the state of Season 3 is currently uncertain. He said:

“No, they’re separate narratives. They’re all part of one continuous narrative, with, with continuing characters, but they’re separate narratives. I don’t know that we’re certain there will three seasons, but in really looking at the characters in the history that’s being depicted here, albeit in a fictionalized manner, it still feels to us like three is the right number of seasons to really do it justice.”