“Shadow and Bone” Showrunners Reveal Some New Season 2 Intel

The second season of Shadow and Bone is one of the things I’m most excited about in 2023. After the teaser dropped in September, and the release date was revealed two weeks ago (along with some promotional stills), I expected that the trickle of news would start to become a steadier flow. And today, Entertainment Weekly came out with the scoop that has me revisiting my season 2 speculation and wondering if I should just go back to the drawing board.

For starters, Shadow and Bone will be adapting the second novel in the original trilogy, Siege and Storm. That was a given. But what EW revealed today is that season 2 will also adapt some events from the third book, Ruin and Rising. The question is, what events are those?

Siege and Storm has a pretty definitive ending that would be the perfect stopping point for a season finale. I can’t imagine that they’ll go beyond that moment. Not to mention, if they try to move that forward, there’s just too much to cram into a singular season. My theory is that they’ll rearrange the timeline a bit. There’s only so much shifting that they can do, so I still don’t expect the show’s arc to vary too heavily from the books’. But there is some information that we learn in Ruin and Rising that they may decide to reveal earlier.

Season 2 will also continue to feature elements from the Six of Crows duology, which makes a lot of sense, as they’re introducing fan-favorite Wylan much earlier than I anticipated. However, it has been confirmed that they are not adapting the Ice Court heist (the plot of the duology) just yet. Showrunner Eric Heisserer said that they are saving the Ice Court for another season. (Or perhaps a potential spinoff? I’m just saying.)

So it looks like my theory that they’ll invent an entirely new story for the Crows still holds water. After all, they got themselves in a spot of trouble at the end of season 1, and they’ll need to get out of it.

Of course, it was also revealed that they will be lifting elements from other books in the Grishaverse as well. “Multiple books for sure,” Heisserer told EW. “We touch on a few others in Leigh’s catalog. There’s a piece that’s integral to the story that was [co-showrunner Daegan Fryklind’s] idea that I’m particularly excited about. I don’t think the fans are gonna see that one coming […].”

It’s also been confirmed that Alina and Mal will start out season 2 in Novyi Zem, which is where they were in the book. Considering the changes they made to the story, I wasn’t entirely sure if they’d follow that faithfully or not. But, yes, the pair do start out in Novyi Zem. And apparently, they’re using their time lying low to try and increase Alina’s power. This makes me wonder if they will seek out the other legendary beasts on their own.

Whether they go off hunting on their own, or because Kirigan has found them and is forcing them (I mean, we all saw season 1, right? That’s not going to go over so well), their journey will lead them to Nikolai Lantsov and his loyal allies, Shu Heartrenders Tamar and Tolya. Given the way EW worded their introduction, I’m confident that they’re going to keep the “twist” part of Nikolai’s identity. Well, at least it will be a surprise to the characters, I imagine.

Despite the fact that the Crows’ entire plot in season 1 revolved around kidnapping Alina, the two groups’ storylines didn’t intersect that much. It was hinted that the arcs in season 2 may intersect a bit more, and I am all here for that. (I’d actually love to see Alina meet Wylan. I think those two sunshine children would get along quite well.) I was very impressed with how they handled season 1, and I have every confidence that they will handle season 2 with the same care.

Shadow and Bone Season 2 premieres on Netflix on March 16, 2023.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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