An upcoming series that has been described as Game Of Thrones but set in Feudal Japan has wrapped up filming and is set to premiere next year.
FX’s Shogun has been adapted from a best-selling novel 1975 written by James Clavell and has been in development for some time.
Expect plenty of samurais, culture clashes, foreign negotiations, tales of survival, and plenty of over-the-top action scenes.
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It will follow a risk-taking Englishmen who finds himself shipwrecked in Japan, a powerful daimyo who is at odds with his political rivals, and a woman with dishonourable family ties trying to prove her allegiance.
Sign. Me. Up.
Sounds like we’re getting the best parts of Game of Thrones but in a historically fascinating setting.
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FX Chairman John Landgraf said of the upcoming American drama series, via Deadline: “The story of Shogun has captivated audiences since James Clavell first released his epic novel more than 40 years ago.
“The themes of an outsider encountering a new culture are as relevant today as then.”
There is a stellar team involved in producing and writing the series as well.
The series will span over 10 episodes, with the first two written by Justin Marks who was behind the recent blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick, and the live-action The Jungle Book adaptation.
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While legendary HBO director Tim Van Patten, who has worked on The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and Game Of Thrones itself, will serve as the show’s executive producer.
The show is set to offer a huge breakout moment for English actor Cosmo Jarvis, who will portray John Blackthorne, and has appeared in shows such as Peaky Blinders and Raised by Wolves.
Landgraf has emphasised in the past that the story will be told from both the western perspective of Blackthorne, as well as the Japanese perspective so that audiences get a balanced view of the situation.
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A television adaptation of the story was actually made all the way back in 1980, which starred Richard Chamberlain.
The series received critical acclaim at the time and won a Golden Globe Award at the time for Best TV-Series - Drama, while Chamberlain and his co-star Yoko Shimada also took home gongs for their performances.
As for the upcoming remake, expect a release in 2023 on streaming services such as Disney+ with FX Networks owned by the entertainment juggernaut.
Topics: TV and Film, Game of Thrones