Season 2 of Shadow and Bone, Netflix’s adaptation of the “Grishaverse” novels by fantasy author Leigh Bardugo, continues the quest of Alina and Mal to vanquish Aleksander, aka the Darkling, in a rich and evocative setting inspired by Tsarist Russia where magic-wielders known as Grisha are capable of controlling the elements.
The second season, based on the novel Siege and Storm, raised the stakes for the main characters considerably, and left several crucial questions unanswered, leaving viewers keen for more.
Will there be a Season 3 of Shadow and Bone?
Netflix has yet to renew Shadow and Bone for a third season, which might have some fans worried given the streaming giant’s current penchant for canceling properties left and righ. But Season 2 functions as the middle chapter in a larger adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s hugely popular trilogy, with plenty of subsequent books to draw on for inspiration when it comes to future seasons, so it would seem incredibly shortsighted for Netflix to drop the ball right now.
What will Season 3 be about?
Unlike other drama series, we can actually take a pretty good guess as to what the over-arching plot of Season 3 would be, as it will be based on events in the third and final novel in Bardugo’s original Grishaverse trilogy, Ruin and Rising. In that novel, Alina—having ascended to near-saintlike status—draws on her growing powers as the Sun Summoner to face off against the Darkling once and for all, with grave consequences for her friends and the world at large.
Season 3 will also continue to lift plot elements from Bardugo’s follow-up Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom duology, which features the gang of loveable rogues from Ketterdam. In the source material, the Crows’ misadventures take place in the same fictional universe as Alina’s story, but they barely cross paths. That has changed for the show, and the heist-y, morally grey dealings of Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina and Wylan are increasingly entangled with the more traditional fantasy adventures of Alina and Mal—which means that even if you’ve read all the books, the story will unfold in a slightly different way on-screen.
Who will be in Season 3?
The entire cast is expected to return, including Jessie Mei Li as Alina, Ben Barnes as the Darkling, Archie Renaux as Mal, Freddy Karter as Kaz, Amita Suman as Inej, Kit Young as Jesper, Daisy Head as Genya, Danielle Galligan as Nina, Calahan Skogman as Matthias, and Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya.
When will Season 3 be released?
Given that Netflix has yet to confirm a third season is happening, we’re in for a long wait. But should an announcement be imminent, we can expect that Season 3 will follow a slightly more rapid schedule than Season 2 given that Covid restrictions on productions are no longer quite so strict.
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV.
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