The second season of the fantasy show Shadow and Bone is coming to Netflix earlier than expected. It was recently announced that the show will be coming back to the streaming service on March 16 of 2023, according to Comicbook. The show’s second season is based on the second book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy written by Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House, Demon in the Wood). Netflix also released some new photos from the new season via Instagram.
According to Comicbook, showrunner Eric Heisserer (Bird Box, Arrival) has spoken about the second season and told the fans about his excitement for advancing the stories of the show’s characters. He also teased the expansion of the Grishaverse, the universe in which this story takes place. Heisserer spoke about the new mythology and the new characters that will appear in the new season. The showrunner also talked about the different locations the audience will see in this new season, including Novyi Zem and She Han.
Co-showrunner Daegan Fryklind (Bitten, Motive) spoke about what’s to come in the second season. She said that in terms of mythology, they will focus on the amplifiers and their creator Morozova. They will tell the audience his story, who he is, his backstory, and how he ties into the world.
Netflix had previously released a teaser trailer of the show’s new season during Tudum. Part of the announcement made at Tudum was the introduction of new characters in the series and confirmation of which actors will be playing them. The new characters are the siblings Tolya played by Lewis Tan (Deadpool 2, Mortal Kombat) and Tamar played by Anna Leong Brophy (Traces, Last Tango in Halifax); the prince Nikolai played by Patrick Gibson (Before We Die, The OA); and joining the Crows is Wylan played by Jack Wolfe (The Witcher, Hetty Feather).
Shadow and Bone follows Alina Starkov, played by Jessie Mei Li (Last Night in Soho, All About Eve), a common soldier in Ravka’s army who is part of a team trying to cross the Unsea, a dark barrier filled with monsters between the mainland Ravka and the sea. Alina is accompanied by her friend Malyen ‘Mal’ Oretsev, played by Archie Renaux (Morbius, Voyagers), and while crossing, Mal gets attacked and Alina uses her undiscovered powers to save him. At the discovery of her sun-summoner powers, Alina is taken to the commander of the Grisha forces General Kirigan, played by Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia, The Punisher), who leads an army of soldiers with magical abilities, known as the Grisha.
As Alina’s life changes with the discovery of her powers, criminals also discover her value. A group of criminals known as The Crows will attempt to kidnap Alina and ask for a large ransom in return for the most powerful Grisha in Ravka. The members of the Crows who are assigned to the mission are: their leader Kaz Brekker, played by Freddy Carter (Free Rein, Pennyworth); his second in command Inej Ghafa, played by Amita Suman (The Outpost, The Sandman); and his weapons expert Jesper Fahey, played by Kit Young (The School for Good and Evil, The Origin).
In another part of the Grishaverse, Nina Zenik played by Danielle Galligan (Lakelands, The Great), a Grisha soldier in training, gets captured by the Fjerdans, Ravka’s neighbors and biggest enemies due to their belief that the Grisha are unnatural and deserve death. The ship Nina is on gets caught in a storm and sinks. As she swims to shore, she encounters Matthias, played by newcomer Calahan Skogman, a young Fjerdan soldier. Together they make it to shore and try to survive through the night.
Season two of Shadow and Bone will premiere on March 16 on Netflix. Season one of the show is available on Netflix. Don’t forget to watch the teaser trailer for season two below.