Sanada, whose journey to become Shogun and lead Japan to an era of peace was chronicled in the 10-part serial adaptation of James Clavell's novel. The series was considered crucial to any plan to expand Shōgun beyond the original season.
Other elements are still being worked out and deals are being finalized as part of FX's effort to bring Shōgun to a second season in light of the limited series' great commercial and critical success. The outcome of this effort would determine whether Shōgun is considered a limited series or a drama series in the future, which could have major implications for the 2024 Emmy race as the timing of the decision is tied to the Emmy deadline entries.
Partly because of the strikes, which delayed new seasons of ongoing series and forced networks and platforms to lean heavily on limited series, the field of drama series is lighter than usual this year, while the limited/anthology race, in which Shōgun is a leading contender , is one of the most competitive ever assembled in an Emmy genre.
While there are precedents, including the first season of True Detective competing as a drama series rather than a limited/anthology - something that was rectified with subsequent seasons - the vast majority of limited series are submitted as such. If they are subsequently given additional seasons, the series will become drama series from season two onwards, as was the case with Downton Abbey, Big Little Lies and The White Lotus.
Shōgun wants to move into the drama series category from the start if a decision on a possible second season is made in time to adjust the Emmy entries. Sources say that not all the pieces of the puzzle are in place yet, but the important deal with Sanada is a good start.
As the titular character, Sanada was central to the story of the original season, which saw Toranaga, a brilliant strategist and a master of the long game, largely in the opposition. He plotted how to overthrow the oppressive co-regents in feudal Japan and unify the country.
Written by Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, Shōgun was six years in development and spread across multiple continents. It is FX's most expensive series to date. Ahead of the series' premiere, FX chairman John Landgraf said he hoped the series would do well so he and his team could make more large-budget, big-budget series like this.
Following strong reviews and strong performance as Shōgun racked up 9 million views worldwide in its first six days on Hulu, Disney+ and Star+, becoming the company's No. 1 overall entertainment series internationally and the No. 1 FX premiere on Disney's streaming platforms, the network is looking to extend that success for another season - and capitalize on its investment in recreating 17th century Japan in Canada, where Shōgun was filmed.
Veteran actor-producer Sanada, whose career has spanned decades, recently appeared in John Wick: Chapter 4, Bullet Train and Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead and is reprising his role in Mortal Kombat for the upcoming sequel.