Everything we know about Netflix’s ‘Shadow and Bone’ season 2
(Credit: Netflix)

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Everything we know about Netflix's 'Shadow and Bone' season 2

Created by Eric Heisserer, the 2021 series Shadow and Bone is based on Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy which is set in a fictional world of fantasy, ravaged by bloody battles. 

The Grisha, who possess the knowledge of Small Science and can control various elements of nature, find themselves safe in Ravka. General Kirigan is in search of a Grisha who can control light. 

It is discovered that an orphan named Alina Starkov is one such Grisha who has the potential of saving her people and bringing freedom to her country. She is made to train with an elite army of the Grisha where she learns the skills of survival and learns that there is more to life than mere magic and that none can be trusted. 

Following Bardugo’s creative ingenuity, Heisserer adds vivid imagery to the Grishaverse with elaborate costumes, stunning visuals and brilliant graphics. Shot in Budapest, the fantasy series has intriguing character arcs and intense narratives, making it one of Netflix’s best-ever fantasy Original shows. 

After the success of the first season, Shadow and Bone has been renewed for a second season run. Here’s everything we know about Netflix’s Shadow and Bone season two: 

Everything we know about Netflix’s ‘Shadow and Bone’ season 2

How successful was Shadow and Bone season 1 on Netflix?

Within 28 days of its release, Shadow and Bone season one was watched by 55 million Netflix viewers, making it the eighth most-watched English TV show of all time. The show hit the number one spot in nearly 79 countries and had the 14th biggest debut on Netflix since 2020.  

Has Shadow and Bone been renewed for season 2? 

Given the show’s epic success with the first season, Shadow and Bone was bound to be renewed for a second-season run. While Netflix was pretty tight-lipped about the whole affair, development was underway for quite some time. 

On June 7th, 2021, Shadow and Bone released an official video on their Twitter account confirming the renewal of the show for a second season. 

Shawn Levy’s production company 21 Laps has been working on the show with Netflix, with Levy as the executive producer. Levy commented on the renewal, praising Leigh Bardugo and Eric Heisserer for creating such “a world and pantheon of characters that fans all over the globe have embraced.”

Levy added, “We can’t wait to take the viewers on the wild ride that comes next.” 

Who are the cast members in Shadow and Bone season 2?

Shadow and Bone season two will see a lot of familiar faces return to the show. They will include:

  • Jessie Mei Li as ALina Starkov 
  • Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker
  • Ben Barnes as General Kirigan
  • Kit Young as Jesper Fahey
  • Archie Renaux as Malyen Oretsev
  • Amita Suman as Inej
  • Danielle Galligan as Nina Zenik
  • Calahan Skogman as Matthias Helvar 
  • Daisy Head as Genya Safin

While Zenik, Helver and Safin were the side characters in the first season, they will now appear as season regulars in Shadow and Bone season two. 

Shadow and Bone season two will also see an ensemble of new faces portraying new characters as confirmed in January 2022. They are: 

  • Patrick Gibson will be seen as the confident Prince Nikolai Lantsov who develops an alter ego named Sturmhond and attempts to aid Ravka. Gibson was previously seen in the Netflix series The OA
  • Anna Leong Brophy will be seen as the queer Grisha Heartrender Tamar Kir-Bataar who has the ability to manipulate bodies and carries two deadly axes with her. Brophy is well-known for her role in Back and Traces
  • Lewis Tan will be seen as the muscular mercenary Tolya Yul-Bataar who is also a part of Sturmhond’s crew. Tan was last seen in Netflix’s Wu Assassins and Mortal Kombat
  • Jack Wolfe will play Wylan Hendriks, the son of a wealthy merchant who is sent to the criminal underbelly as a skilled chemist with a penchant for demolition. Wolfe was notably seen in Netflix’s The Witcher

What happened in Shadow and Bone season 1? 

Towards the end of the first season, the heroes entered the fold for one last time where kirigan uses Alina’s burgeoning powers to create a tunnel that will let them pass through the darkness. However, a major fight breaks out which threatens to disrupt everything and Alina soon realises that she is in true control of the stag powers and not Kirigan. 

What might happen in Shadow and Bone season 2? 

Although the show is pretty faithful to the source material albeit with some saucy deviations, the second season will likely follow the events of Siege and Storm

The official synopsis for the book reads: 

“The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.”

The second season will be intense as it will record Alina and Mal looking for a mythical target and new ally who can help them in their uphill battle against Kirigan. Although the Crows will allegedly get a spin-off series, they will feature more prominently in the second season that promises “political intrigue, bloody battles, flying ships, reunited friends, new countries and a family secret that will shatter all expectations”.

Jessie Mei Li spoke about the changes in her character in season two. She talks about the cathartic transformation of her character where “Alina goes from being a scared, little pup who can’t look at anyone in the eye, to suddenly having this sense of gravity to her.”

Barnes, too, opened up about the potential changes to his character, Kirigan in the second season. With Kirigan being lonelier than ever with a “handful of vendettas and an amassed group of people trying to kill him”, Barnes has promised his character to “think something dark” while being such a powerful entity who will have a lot of interesting action in store.  

When will Shadow and Bone season 2 begin filming? 

Shadow and Bone season two was scheduled to begin filming in January 2022 in Budapest till July 2022.

On January 9th, executive producer Josh Barry posted a picture from Budapest, promising a “big week ahead”, thus teasing the commencement of production. 

On January 13th, Netflix provided a first look at the entire cast of the series, before sharing some behind-the-scenes clicks. 

When will Shadow and Bone season 2 be on Netflix? 

Currently, the series is still undergoing filming after which it will likely enter production. A 2022 release seems far too ambitious and one can expect Shadow and Bone to hit Netflix sometime in early 2023. 

Will Shadow and Bone be renewed for a third season?

Shadow and Bone has only been renewed for one season. Leigh Bardugo, the author, had once admitted how she wished for five seasons since “there’s so much story”. 

Currently, Netflix is going through a rough patch, losing huge amounts of subscribers due to price hikes and bad quality of content. As a result, they have been cancelling shows at random. If Shadow and Bone season two is as successful and crowd-pleasing as the first season, one can hope for a season three and more!