When Season 1 of Shadow and Bone first premiered on Netflix, fans of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse books swarmed on the series that endeavored to combine her Grisha trilogy and Six of Crows duology together into one series. The series follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a girl who wields the power to summon sunlight, in a magical world full of princes, assassins, thieves, and one hot-but-dangerous dark lord aptly. Fans have eagerly been waiting for Season 2 after Season 1 premiered in back in April 2021, and the new season promises not only a return to the characters they've come to love but a whole host of new faces.
Season 2 of Shadow and Bone is officially set to premiere on March 16, 2023, with eight episodes. The series is helmed by Eric Heisserer, who was the showrunner for Season 1, and also brings in Daegan Fryklind (Bitten) as a new co-showrunner, executive producer, and writer alongside Heisserer. The eight one-hour episodes will bring back Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov, Ben Barnes as The Darkling/General Kirigan, 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 Helvar, and Daisy Head as Genya Safin.
The series will also introduce long-awaited characters like Wylan Hendriks played by Jack Wolfe, Nikolai Lantsov played by Patrick Gibson, Tolya Yul-Bataar played by Lewis Tan, and Tamar Kir-Bataar played by Anna Leong Brophy.
The description of the season promises adventure, danger, and a story of epic proportions.
Alina Starkov is on the run. A beacon of hope to some and a suspected traitor to others, she's determined to bring down the Shadow Fold and save Ravka from ruin. But General Kirigan has returned to finish what he started. Backed by a terrifying new army of seemingly indestructible shadow monsters and fearsome new Grisha recruits, Kirigan is more dangerous than ever. To stand a fighting chance against him, Alina and Mal rally their own powerful new allies and begin a continent-spanning journey to find two mythical creatures that will amplify her powers. Back in Ketterdam, the Crows must forge new alliances as they contend with old rivals and even older grudges that threaten not only their place in the Barrel, but their very lives. When a chance at a deadly heist comes their way, the Crows will once again find themselves on a collision course with the legendary Sun Summoner. Based on Leigh Bardugo's worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, SHADOW AND BONE returns for a second season of new friendships, new romance, bigger battles, epic adventures — and a shocking family secret that could shatter everything.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 Will Expand the Universe With New Mythology and Characters
Although it seemed impossible to bring together the Shadow and Bone trilogy with the Six of Crows duology, author Leigh Bardugo seems confident that Season 2 will be able to pull it off yet again. "This season I was able to step back and put the show more firmly in their hands," Bardugo said of Heisserer and Fryklind. Along with her trust, Bardugo explained that the season will allow characters who have never interacted in the books meet each other. "Readers are not only going to be surprised by the way that these storylines crash into each other, they're never going to know where the next move is coming from—and that actually was a pleasure for me because I got to be surprised by my own stories."
Heisserer promises not only an expansion of the story but expanding the mythology and characters of the universe, taking the characters to new locations like Novyi Zem and Shu Han, two countries crucial to the Grishaverse stories. For those looking into the past, Fryklind explained that the season will also dig into the mythology of the amplifiers, looking at the creator of the amplifiers, Morozova, and how he connects to the story and ties into the world.
Shadow and Bone will return on March 16, 2023. Check out all the new images below: