‘Shōgun’ Shocker! Season 2 Looking Likely With Hiroyuki Sanada Returning

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Shōgun Season 1.]

Everyone who watched FX‘s fantastic Shōgun agrees: we’re sad to see this show go. The limited series debuted its Episode 10 finale on Tuesday, April 23 on FX and Hulu, revealing what Lord Yoshii Toranaga planned all along. Every death, every sacrifice was worth it, as it ushered in a new era of peace in Japan. Will we ever see a second season depicting that peaceful period? In a shocking — and exciting! — development, Shōgun Season 2 is reportedly in the works.

Hiroyuki Sanada told TV Insider after the Shōgun finale that he didn’t know if a second season was possible. “I have no idea,” he said with a laugh (he was undoubtedly getting asked this question a lot). “But the novel is done.” Indeed, the FX limited (or not-so-limited…) series covered the entire plot of the James Clavell’s novel on which it’s based. But according to Deadline, Sanada has reportedly inked a deal to return for Season 2.

Sanada’s return was reportedly the key to continuing the series, as the show is all about Toranaga’s expert planning to become to shōgun, the military leader of Japan and the de facto ruler of the entire country. FX is reportedly eager to make another season following the show’s massive critical and commercial success.

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Renewing the series would also make Shōgun eligible for the drama series categories at this year’s Emmys rather than being in the stacked limited/anthology series category (though let’s be real, no limited/anthology series would stand a chance against Shōgun, which is already considered not only one of the best TV shows in recent years, but of all time). FX is reportedly trying to make these changes in time to adjust its Emmy category submissions. Locking in Sanada for a Season 2 was reportedly the first step in this plan.

There are some pieces of Shōgun‘s book narrative that didn’t make it into the series, as with any book-to-screen adaptation, but the core essence of the book is in Season 1’s 10 episodes. Anna Sawai, who played Mariko, tells TV Insider about her history with Clavell’s book and the original Shogun adaptation from 1980. Sawai read the novel once she signed on for the series. Having read the book and starred in the new series, she feels they did it “justice.”

“It’s so beautifully written, and I was really interested on how they were going to choose which parts to include it in our series, because we only have so much time to cover the whole book,” she says. “But I’m really happy with what they went with, and I think we really got those key moments and gave it justice.”

She nearly watched the 1980 series when she booked the role of Mariko (a performance that’s surely going to win her an Emmy later this year), but decided against it.

“I was about to [watch it], but then I was told, ‘You should probably not, because we want you to have a fresh take on it. We don’t want you to try to copy anything,'” Sawai shares. “And so I haven’t seen it. I’ve only seen short clips on YouTube … Once [Episode] 10 is out, I think I am going to go into it.”

Shōgun, All Episodes Available Now, Hulu