‘ShōGun’ Sets Release Date for Hiroyuki Sanada-Led Period Drama

FX Productions has officially revealed the date for Shōgun, a television series based on the bestselling novel by James Clavell. The adaption was created for the studio by Rachel Kondo and series executive producer and showrunner Justin Marks. ShōGun will run as a limited series with 10 episodes in total. Based on Clavell’s 1975 novel, the series takes place in the year 1600 in Japan. It follows the character Lord Yoshii Toranaga who gets betrayed by his Council of Regents as they unite against him. However, he finds an alley in an unlikely place after a mysterious European ship is found shipwrecked in a nearby fishing village. The English pilot, John Blackthorne, has a secret that tips the balance between Lord Toranaga and his enemies.

The series will also follow the power struggle between Portuguese merchants and Jesuit priests who become tied to their translator, a Christian nobelwoman named Lady Mariko. She harbors her own secrets as the last of a disgraced line in her family. As war threatens to engulf everyone, Mariko and Blackthorne find companionship in each other as they try to reclaim power, faith, and freedom. Per TVLine, FX originally ordered a ShōGun series more than five years ago, for August 2018. However, the plans ultimately fizzled out.

This isn’t the first time a ShōGun series was given the green light, as Clavell’s work was previously adapted into an NBC miniseries in 1980. The show enjoyed a successful run, winning three Emmy’s and scoring a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. The 1980 series starred Richard Chamberlain, John Rhys-Davies, Toshiro Mifune, Yoko Shimada, Frankie Sakai, Damien Thomas, Alan Badel, and Michael Hordern.

Who Stars in ‘ShōGun’?

In an unprecedented move for an American production, Shōgun features an acclaimed Japanese cast in order to bring Clavell’s words to live-action. The series stars Hiroyuki Sanada (Mortal Kombat) as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, Anna Sawai (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) as Lady Mariko, Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth) as John Blackthorne, and Tadanobu Asano (also from Mortal Kombat) as Kashigi Yabushige. His character is described by FX as “a notorious backstabber and close ally of Toranaga”.

They are joined by Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi, the young leader of the fishing village where Blackthorne’s ship was found; Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari, a powerful bureaucrat who is Toranaga’s chief rival; Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji, a widow who must find new purpose amidst her lord’s fight; Tokuma Nishioka as Toda Hiromatsu, Toranaga’s trusted general and closest friend; and Shinnosuke Abe as Toda Hirokatsu (also called Buntaro), Mariko’s jealous husband. Other cast members include Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado, the brash son of Toranaga with a strong desire to prove himself; Yuka Kouri as Kiku, a courtesan renowned for her artistry throughout Japan; and Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba no Kata, the revered mother of the heir who will stop at nothing to put an end to Toranaga and his threat to her son’s power.

ShōGun will premiere on Tuesday, February 27 on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.