Shōgun season 2: everything we know so far about the hit show's return on Hulu and Disney Plus

As a four-time Golden Globes award winner, it shouldn't be all that surprising that Shōgun season 2 is on the way. But, when it was meant to be a mini-series which covered pretty much the entirety of James Clavell's novel of the same name, there's a lot to talk about for where the show will go next. Especially as the cast and crew are reportedly heading into production in January 2026.

Below, we’ve collated all of the news and rumors around the next instalment of the hit Hulu and Disney Plus show. So, when it comes to Shōgun season 2, here's what we know about expected release date, confirmed cast, plot details and a look ahead to season 3. Yes, it's already been renewed for more. Warning, there are full spoilers for Shōgun season 1 ahead.

Shōgun season 2 release date prediction

Shōgun season 2 doesn't have an official release date yet, but we know it's on the way. That's because FX, the Disney-owned studio behind its TV adaptation, confirmed that its record-breaking retelling of Shōgun was surprisingly getting two more seasons in mid-May. That's not a complete shock, either, considering Shōgun set a new record on Hulu and Disney Plus when its first season debuted in late February.

What is surprising is that it's coming back at all. Sure, its popularity means a renewal was always on the cards for not one, but two seasons more (at least). But, Shōgun's first season covered 99% of the story in James Clavell's book, so there's no more source material for FX's series to pull from. Like Game of Thrones' seventh and eighth seasons, then, Shōgun is entering uncharted territory – from a narrative standpoint – from this point on.

We’ll get into that later. For now, is there any word about when Shōgun season 2 will start filming? Why, yes there is. Thanks to an official press release from FX Networks, we have confirmation that season 2 will begin production in January 2026 in Vancouver.

Filming for season 1 took almost seven months, commencing in June 2022 before the show premiered in February 2024. So, when it comes to a possible release date for season 2, with plenty of post-production work to carry out after filming wraps, we aren't likely to see Shōgun return until mid-2027 at the earliest.

Shōgun season 2 trailer: is there one?

No. If our release date prediction proves correct, there won't be a trailer for Shōgun season 2 until early 2027, either. We'll update this section when one is released.

Shōgun season 2 cast: likely and rumored

Major spoilers follow for Shōgun season 1.

We don't know too much about Shōgun season 2's cast right now, but FX has confirmed two of the best characters will be back:

• Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga
• Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne

If Shōgun season 2 is a direct continuation of the story told in its forebear (more on this shortly), there are other big-name players who may return, too. That includes Takehiro Hira as Lord Ishido Kazunari, Tommy Bastow as Father Martin Alvito, Fumi Nikaido as Lady Ochiba no Kata, and Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi.

Two vitally important characters who won't be back are Anna Sawai's Lady Toda Mariko and Tadanobu Asano's Kashigi Yabushige. The former sacrificed herself to save Blackthorne and Toranaga's consorts from a shinobi explosive blast in season 1 episode 9, while Yabishige committed seppuku over his constant betrayals.

It's possible Sawai's Mariko could return in flashback sequences – Sanada telling THR: "Hopefully we can work together again, but who knows" – but that's dependent on season 2's plot. Speaking of which...

Shōgun season 2 story speculation

Full spoilers follow for Shōgun's first season.

As previously mentioned, there's no more literary material from Clavell's book to fall back on for Shōgun season 2.

But, as per FX Networks press release, we do have some exciting details about the season 2 plot: "Part two of Shōgun is set ten year after the events of the first season and continues the historically-inspired saga of these two men from different worlds whose fates are inextricably entwined."

And that's about as much as know, for now. While we originally considered that season 2 would focus on another novel in Clavell's Asian Saga book series, there's none that are set in 1610.

A point bolstered by the fact that none of those novels continue to follow the life and story of Lord Yoshii Toranaga – who's based on the real-life Japanese leader Tokugawa Ieyas. The fact Sanada is returning as this character, it's incredibly unlikely that another of Clavell's works will form the basis for season 2's main narrative.

And while season 2 doesn't seem to be directly related to Clavell's work, showrunners Kondo and Marks are extremely keen to retain the look and feel of Clavell's literature in future installments. "We’re trying to study his [Clavell’s] process of curation," Kondo told THR. "How did he curate, which events, which characters, which characters can you conveniently combine – those sorts of things that kind of allow you to make something new.

"There’s a lot of chaos but creative chaos, where we’re throwing everything that we have at the wall, seeing what sticks. It’s been exciting and nerve-wracking because, obviously, this is uncharted territory – we don’t have a roadmap, we just have history."

"There’s a lot of great conspiracy theory in history," Marks added. "[There's a lot of different theories about 'Oh, it was said that this went on, but this really went on,' and those little darker corners are what we’ve really enjoyed exploring."

The showrunners confirmed they may bring elements of the original book into season 2 that fans may not be expecting, too.

Speaking to Collider, Marks recently said, “I'm so grateful for the foundation that Clavell established.” He goes on to explain how the book is not just inspiration for the broader story, but finer details, too. “There are always these moments where we're like, ‘What are we missing?’ You just pick up the book and it's like, ‘Oh, this guy. I forgot about this guy. We never used this guy in the first season.’"

Sanada largely agreed with his fellow executive producers, but opined that there needed to be some form of Western world influence – mainly from an outsider viewpoint – to help shape things moving forward. "I want to keep the taste of the novel and respect the novel," he told Forbes.

"But also, we want to create an original script freely. We need fresh ideas as Japanese people, including me, who watch period movies and TV so much [because those images of Japanese culture] are more fixed and narrower, I believe. So, I need fresh ideas from Western eyes for the script."

With Shōgun season 2 set ten years after what came before, it's unclear whether some of season 1's dangling story threads will ever be addressed. For one, Toranaga's ongoing feud with Ishido needs to be explored further before it reaches its endgame with the Battle of Sekigahara. That tentpole set-piece was only briefly teased in season 1's finale, too, so we'd hope for a full-scale, bloody fight to take place before Shōgun's story is wrapped up.

Then there's Toranaga's revelation that he purposefully sunk the Erasmus – Blackthorne's ship – to not only prevent his return to Europe, but also coerce Blackthorne into salvage its remains, before rebuilding it and making a full armada for Toranaga's use.

With Jarvis returning as the character, we suspect Blackthorne won't be happy (that's understatement of the year right there) when he learns about this. Lady Ochiba isn't likely to be pleased if she finds out that Toranaga used Lady Mariko's death as a way to coax the former into severing allegiances with Lord Ishido, either.

Those issues notwithstanding, among the other problems Toranaga also has to deal with are the Portuguese merchants and rise of Christianity in his home nation. Clearly, there's plenty more ground to cover with Shōgun's morally complex cast and world, so here's hoping they're examined further over the next two seasons.

How many more seasons of Shōgun will there be?

Shōgun season 2 won't be the end of the road. As we've said a few times already, we know two more seasons have been confirmed, but what will Shōgun season 3 be about?

Speaking to THR, Marks explained how they’re approaching this duo of seasons: "The third season is really an ending. We know where it starts, and we know where it ends, and we know who is there on that journey. We’re just focusing on part two right now to really make sure we can get to that point. But part two is, as second chapters go, kind of a darker chapter."

Sounds ominous. Regardless, there's no word on whether seasons 2 and 3 will be shot back to back (just as The Bear season 3 and The Bear season 4 reportedly were in early to mid-2023). It may be in FX's best interests, though, to do this, as long as the dual seasonal shoot doesn't take two years to film. After all, FX/Disney, plus the series' fanbase, will want one of the best Disney Plus shows' final season to arrive before 2030, so let's pray it does so.

For more Hulu and Disney+ coverage, read our guides on Daredevil: Born Again season 2, Alien: Earth season 2, X-Men 97 season 2, and Star Wars: Ahsoka season 2.