'Shadow and Bone' Season 2: Netflix Reveals First Sneak Peek at TUDUM Fan Event
Netflix finally gave fans their first look at Shadow and Bone Season 2 on Saturday during its TUDUM virtual fan event. The streamer made several big announcements and unveiled new trailers and teasers during Saturday afternoon's presentation. For Shadow and Bone fans, one 54-second segment stood out above the rest.
Shadow and Bone is Netflix's adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's novel series by the same name. It premiered in the spring of 2021 and it has become one of the most promising productions in the current trend of fantasy novel adaptations on screen. The show was renewed shortly after it aired and it was filmed in relative privacy, so fans have been dying for news on it all year. Some were pleased that Netflix waited until it had something real to show – a one-minute teaser of what Season 2 has in store. It also promised Season 2 is coming sometime in 2023, though an exact release date was not revealed.
The teaser shows us many of our favorite main characters back in action – Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov, Archie Renaux as Mal Oretsev, Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker, Amita Suman as Inej Ghafa, Kit Young as Jesper Fahey, Danielle Galligan as Nina Zenik, Calahan Skogman as Matthias and, of course, Ben Barnes as General Kirigan, a.k.a. "The Darkling." These brief glimpses already raise some questions about how the adaptation will approach material from Bardugo's books and how some character arcs will be treated.
Shadow and Bone is a unique adaptation, as it is not a straightforward rendition of one single story. Bardugo has written three different series set in the same fictional world, where the magic of "Grisha" powers reigns supreme. This TV show mainly adapts the story of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, but with characters and aspects of the Six of Crows duology added in. As we get further along in the story, those additions may come to impact the story more and more.
Meanwhile, some graphic and aesthetic aspects of the original series seem to have been changed slightly, though discussing them in depth might spoil the story going forward. For now, fans are excited enough to have a glimpse of the new series and a promise that new episodes are coming sometime in 2023. Shadow and Bone Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix, and Bardugo's books are available in print, digital and audiobook formats.