Will There Be A Shogun 2?

This week saw the 10th and final episode of the series Shogun which has been brilliant. The series ended how it should and was not drawn out like we see so often with other producers milking everything from the script.

Apparently the actors have asked the question whether there could be a season 2 and there is no news on that front but opens up the possibilities. Up till now they have had the scrips based around James Clavell's Novel Shogun and anything produced from here on would be new, but would also have to be kept historically correct.

For sure it could be done, but this would take time and resources with plenty of research which as we know is the time factor here. Whatever they decide it would not be happening anytime soon and like we have seen in other film sequels it kind of takes away from the original and is never quite the same or as good. If they stick to what they have created here though and kept the same standards there is no reason why it cannot be even better.

I am sure it is tempting for the cast and producers to try and make this happen so I am sure there are some serious considerations being made. One option would be to do a spin off concentrating on the Anjin (pilot/sailor) which is loosely based on some facts with regard to William Adams being the first Englishman to visit Japan. This would be an easier tempting route to take because it would take less research than the Shogun dynasty moving forward from the end of series one. Also it would be some what cheaper with no battle scenes required.

When you are dealing with historical facts you cannot afford to get things wrong and why James Clavell spent three years writing the novel Shogun and only then adapted this into a script for television. One tends to think if there was room for a series two back then he would have surely continued researching because the demand was definitely there. Today we have more resources with the internet offering access to the research required so it would not take another 3 years to complete.

With most people raving about this new Shogun series meeting and exceeding all expectations then the producers will do another series. The demand says they must and the finances will be available due to how popular this first series was. he cast would also be willing as this is how they make a name for themselves becoming household names and sets them on to even bigger roles in the future. These types or series don't come around that often with the last Shogun series airing in 1980 which is 44 years ago. I watched that series ad also thought it was good back then but was never as good as this latest version. The problem was the main actor being Richard Chamberlain who was not exactly a leading action hero and was more feminine than the Geishas.

I am happy either way whether there is a series sequel or not, but if they did would prefer a continuation on the historical theme with the Shogun dynasty. Most of us know so little about what happened in Japan back then it would be nice to know.