According to Variety, Takehiro Hira (Shōgun, Lost Girls & Love Hotels, Snake Eyes) is already bracing for the fate of his character in the upcoming second season of Shōgun, revealing at Wednesday’s premiere of his Searchlight dramedy Rental Family that he has only seen one script so far. With FX’s January production deadline approaching for season two, Hira admitted he expects Ishido Kazunari’s story to end soon. “So my guy doesn’t really survive much after the big war, the battle. So my days are numbered,” he said at the Directors Guild of America event in Los Angeles.
Variety highlighted that Hira, who was nominated for an Emmy last year for his supporting performance on the series, hinted that his character’s conclusion may not be final, highlighting promotional deadlines connected to the debut.“I will probably have an honorable death,” Hira said, teasing, “But I could come back as a…” The actor’s comments came just as FX confirmed the January production deadline for season two.
As Variety reports, FX also detailed several new cast additions meeting the network’s late-year casting deadlines: Asami Mizukawa (The Sea of Trees, The Supporting Actor) will portray Aya; Masataka Kubota (13 Assassins, Tokyo Ghoul) joins as Hyūga; Sho Kaneta (Follow the Light, Kamen Rider Zero-One) appears as Hidenobu; Takaaki Enoki (The Silk Road, After the Storm) as Lord Ito; and Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill, The Wailing) as Gōda. Returning stars Hiroyuki Sanada (Bullet Train, 47 Ronin) and Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth, Calm with Horses) lead the ensemble once more, along with Fumi Nikaidô (River’s Edge, My Man), Shinnosuke Abe (Yell, Giri/Haji), Yoriko Dôguchi (Shoplifters, The Makanai), Tommy Bastow (Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, The Crossing), and others, whose schedules aligned with the series’ production deadlines.
Variety noted that season one filmmakers Hiromi Kamata (Narcos: Mexico, Los Espookys) and Takeshi Fukunaga (Ainu Mosir, Out of My Hand) are returning to helm episodes in the new season, joined by directors Anthony Byrne (Peaky Blinders, In Darkness), Kate Herron (Loki, Sex Education), and series co-creator Justin Marks (Counterpart, Top Gun: Maverick). FX’s revised logline confirms that season two will unfold 10 years after the events of season one, a shift that reflects the network’s broader long-term development deadlines.
Variety also highlighted the upcoming release of Rental Family, arriving in theaters on November 21st. The film features Brendan Fraser (The Whale, The Mummy) as an actor who takes a job with a rental family service run by Hira’s character. Directed by Hikari (37 Seconds, Beef) and co-written by Stephen Blahut (Nun’s Deadly Confession, The Order), the movie’s ensemble includes Mari Yamamoto (Pachinko, Kate), Shannon Mahina Gorman (Reservation Dogs, Unprisoned), and Akira Emoto (Dr. Coto’s Clinic, Departures), all making appearances during the final press-week deadlines leading up to its debut.