The much-anticipated Japan-set show is landing on our screens next month.
The year is off to a solid start on the streamers, with plenty of series being released for us to get our teeth into – and some more much-anticipated watches finally getting release dates.
One of those talked-about titles is none other than Shōgun, which is being produced by FX and is set to land on Disney Plus this February after much excitement.
Based on the novel by James Clavell, the new show has been created for television by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks (Top Gun: Maverick).
The limited series is set to be made up of 10 episodes and will be set in Japan in 1600, one of the most pivotal years in the country’s history as it stands on the brink of century-defining civil war.
According to the synopsis: “Lord Yoshii Toranaga is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him, when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village.”
Well, with a cast of stellar talent that includes Cosmo Jarvis (Persuasion) and Anna Sawai (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) plus many decorated Japanese actors, this is an international series that will certainly grip viewers.
Read on for everything you need to know about Shogun.
Shōgun release date
Shōgun will premiere on Tuesday 27th February on Disney Plus in the UK with its first two episodes, which will be followed by a new episode each week. There will be 10 in total.
Shōgun cast
The cast is not only being led by Jarvis as Blackthorne and Sawai as Mariko, but also features Japanese actor and martial artist Hiroyuki Sanada, who is known for his roles in The Last Samurai, John Wick: Chapter 4 and Westworld.
Sanada not only stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga – who is at odds with his political rivals and is faced with a united front against him – but the actor also serves as a producer on the series.
The full cast for Shogun is as follows:
- Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga
- Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne
- Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko
- Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige
- Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi
- Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari
- Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji
- Tokuma Nishioka as Toda Hiromatsu
- Shinnosuke Abe as Toda Hirokatsu
- Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado
- Yuka Kouri as Kiku
- Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba no Kata
- Ako as Daiyoin Lady Iyo
- Yasunari Takeshima as Muraji
- Toshi Toda as Sugiyama
- Hiro Kanagawa as Igurashi
- Junichi Tajiri as Uejiro
- Néstor Carbonell as Vasco Rodrigues
- Tommy Bastow as Father Martin Alvito
- Nobuya Shimamoto as Nebara Jozen
- Yoriko Dōguchi as Kiri No Kata
- Yuki Kedoin as Takemaru
- Mako Fujimoto as Shizu No Kata
- Haruno Niiyama as Natsu No Kata
- Hiromoto Ida as Kiyama ukon Sadanaga
- Takeshi Kurokawa as Ohno Harunobu
- Yuko Miyamoto as Gin
What is Shōgun about?
Based on the 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell, this new series is not the first time the acclaimed book has been reimagined on screen.
A 1980 miniseries was also produced and, at the time, was actually the first series to break many broadcasting taboos, containing many firsts for American TV – such as the depiction of a beheading.
Now, this new take is set to be a tense and stylised production, with the trailer giving us a glimpse at some of the fight scenes and drama to come.
The synopsis for the series reads: “When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, its English pilot, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne’s own enemies — the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants.
“Toranaga’s and Blackthorne’s fates become inextricably tied to their translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a mysterious Christian noblewoman and the last of a disgraced line. While serving her lord amidst this fraught political landscape, Mariko must reconcile her newfound companionship with Blackthorne, her commitment to the faith that saved her and her duty to her late father.”
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Is there a trailer for Shōgun?
There is!
It opens with a very frank narration from Sawai’s Toda who tells Blackthorne not to be fooled by their politeness, bows or “maze of rituals”.
We then see how Toranaga is preparing for war, but also how Toda is preparing for her “part”, something mysterious that we’ll likely find out more about in the episodes to come.
Watch the trailer below.
Shōgun will premiere on Disney Plus on Tuesday 27th February with its first two episodes, episodes will then be released weekly. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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