Everything We Know So Far About Netflix’s Shadow & Bone

Last updated: April 20, 2021

Netflix’s Shadow and Bone is one of 2021’s most anticipated TV series. The big budget adaptation of author Leigh Bardugo’s young adult fantasy books has the potential to be a massive hit for the streaming giant. Bardugo’s works have a dedicated fanbase, and they are also chock-full of elements that will appeal to those who have never read the books, including magic, daring adventures, and memorable characters.

Shadow and Bone adapts not one, but two of Bardugo’s series set in the same world known as the Grishaverse (named after the universe’s Grisha, who have magical powers). The Shadow and Bone trilogy follows an orphan whose power may hold the key to freeing her home country from darkness. The Six of Crows duology focuses on a group of charismatic criminals performing an impossible heist.

Showrunner Eric Heisserer (Arrival) has consolidated the two Grishaverse series into one interconnected story in Shadow and Bone. This means fans of the books will be seeing completely new content, including backstories for characters featured in Six of Crows, which takes place after Shadow and Bone. Here is everything we know so far about the Netflix series and what viewers should expect from the Grishaverse.

Shadow & Bone Release Date

Shadow and Bone will be released on Netflix on April 23, 2021. The first season is eight episodes long, and, if the series is anything like other fantasy series such as Game of Thrones or The Witcher, each episode will run for about an hour. While season 2 hasn’t been confirmed yet, there is a lot of hype headed into the series and it’s very possible Netflix will pick it up for another season.

Shadow & Bone Cast

This cast is full of relative newcomers in their potential breakout roles. Characters introduced in the Shadow and Bone books include Alina Starkov, a mapmaker with a secret played by Jessie Mei Li, and Malyen Oretsev, a tracker and soldier played by Archie Renaeux. Ben Barnes (Westworld, The Punisher) stars as General Kirigan, also known as the Darkling.

Other lead cast members play characters featured in Six of Crows. Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman), and Jesper Fahey (Kit Young) are all members of a gang known as the Dregs. Inej and Jesper are both talented fighters: Inej is a skilled knife-wielder and assassin, and Jesper is a sharpshooter. Kaz is a criminal mastermind and has earned the nickname Dirtyhands for his underhanded deeds.

Rounding out the main cast are Danielle Galligan, who plays Nina Zenik, and Calahan Skogman, who plays Matthias Helvar. Nina is a Heartrender, a Grisha who can manipulate people’s bodies. Matthias is a witch-hunter from the Grisha-hating nation of Fjerda and they’re headed on a collision path with one another.

Shadow & Bone Story Details

Shadow and Bone juggles multiple storylines from different books. The main plot will focus on Alina as she enters the ranks of the Grisha and learns to control her light summoning powers. She and the Darkling will work together to harness her powers and banish the monster-filled swath of darkness, known as the Fold (or the Unsea), cutting across the country of Ravka.

Less is known about the Dregs’ storyline in Shadow and Bone, as it will mostly be new material, but it’s likely that Kaz, Inej, and Jesper’s paths will intersect with Alina’s during one of their criminal ventures. Meanwhile, Nina and Matthias will be forced together in a life-threatening situation that will see them work through their hatred for each other in order to survive. These stories will set up the events of Six of Crows, which could be adapted in potential future seasons.

Shadow & Bone Trailer

Netflix released a full trailer for Shadow and Bone and it offers a teaser for what to expect from the highly anticipated fantasy series. Watch it in its entirety above! Previously, a teaser trailer featured a large white stag and a crow, both key symbols in the series. Shadow and Bone promises to be a stunning foray into this fictitious world, with plenty of great character developments and captivating storytelling that will please book fans and newcomers to the series alike.

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