‘Shadow and Bone’ Season 2: Geeked Week Reveals & What We Know So Far

Season 2 of Shadow and Bone has officially finished filming. Here is the big update for season 2, including new characters, story elements, and cast members returning.

The first season, which was based on Leigh Bardugo's series within the Grishaverse, dropped on Netflix April 23, 2021. Ben Barnes, Jessie Mei Li and Archie Renaux were among the actors for the inaugural season. Freddy Carter, Freddy Carter and Amita Suman also starred.

Netflix Geeked posted some photos from its inaugural season to celebrate the occasion.

Shadow and Bone will feature at Netflix’s Geeked Week 2022

Before we continue into our full preview for season 2, we first want to cover the news at Netflix’s Geeked Week.

We didn’t get anything huge but we did get confirmation of our reporting below that filming on season 2 has wrapped.

The short video features several cast members talking about what to expect, and confirms that filming has ended.

Jessie Mei Li, who plays Alina Starkov (known for her role in the film) stated:

“We’ve officially wrapped season 2 of Shadow and Boen and we cannot wait to show you what we’ve been up to”

Lewis Tan, who will make his debut as Tolya Yul–Bataar in season 2, has been added:

“We can’t give too much away at this time but we wanted to answer a few questions to keep you guys guessing on what’s to come.”

Among the questions answered included “What three words would you use to describe season 2?” with answers from various cast members being “Love, power, heartbreak”, “Full of love”, and “Bigger, bolder, better”.

We’re expecting another Shadow and Bone announcement at Netflix Geeked on Friday – stay tuned.

Quick Info: Shadow and Bone Season 2

If you haven’t got time to read through this full article, here are six really quick things you need to know about season 2:

• Season 2 will include 8 episodes. Each episode is approximately an hour long.
• Season 2 will follow Siege and Storm.
• According to reports, the show has an average budget between $3,000,000 and $4.99,999 for each episode.
• Season 2 filming will take place in January-2022.
• The cast now includes Anna Leong Brophy (Anna Leong Brophy), Lewis Tan, Patrick Gibson and Jack Wolfe.
• Eric Heisserer will still be showrunning for season 2.
• Season 2 will see Joseph Trapanese return as a composer
• Sophie Holland (who casts for Netflix’s The Witcher and You) assumes casting duties for season 2.
• There has not been a release date or window of release.

All We Know about Shadow and Bone Season 2

What date was Shadow and Bone renewed to air season 2?

Status of official renewal: Renew (last update: 06/07/2021).

Although there’s plenty of source material to come and the fact we reported that the show had been in active development for quite some time, official renewal didn’t come until Netflix’s Geeked Week where they’re making a bunch of new announcements.

The renewal came alongside a video (which did leak the day before the official announcement – whoops!) The cast discussing the renewal.

Shawn Levy, who was an executive producer for the series' renewal, stated:

“My 21 Laps colleagues and I are thrilled that audiences around the world can continue to explore the Grishaverse and revel in the epic, unique storytelling of Shadow and Bone. The fun of our jobs as producers is the collaboration with creative partners who inspire us. Leigh Bardugo and Eric Heisserer are two such partners; together they have created a world and pantheon of characters that fans all over the globe have embraced. We can’t wait to take viewers on the wild ride that comes next…”

Beyond Shadow and Bone, Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps is currently working on an output deal for Netflix which has been expanded into a first-look deal for all feature films with 10 currently in development.

Just as a quick aside, we’ve also heard rumors there could be a spin-off in development too specifically covering the Crows that played a pivotal part in season 1.

What was the performance of Shadow and Bone on Netflix?

According to Netflix, 55 million Netflix subscribers watched the series in its first 28 days. According to Netflix stats, the show is now ranked 8th in the top-watched English television shows.

It also matches the top 10 collected data. It’s currently ranked eighth for the number of points gathered globally behind Vincenzo but in front of Snowpiercer with a respectable 16,342 points gathered worldwide. It’s also had the 14th biggest first-day debut on Netflix too since March 2020.

Netflix claims that Netflix's series ranked #1 in 79 countries.

Shadow and Bone was removed from the Top 50 Global Titles List on Netflix in May 2021.

The show also held a certified fresh rating for a time, but that’s since slipped down to 87%, whereas the audience score still boasts a 90% rating.

Shadow and Bone season 2 cast: who’s new and who’s returning?

These cast members have been confirmed as returning for season 2.

• Jessie Mei Li (Alina Starkov)
• Archie Renaux (Malyen Oretsev)
• Freddy Carter (Kaz Brekker)
• Amita Suman (Inej)
• Kit Young (Jesper Fahey)
• Ben Barnes (General Kirigan)
• Calahan Skogman (Matthias Helvar) – Promoted to series regular for season 2
• Danielle Galligan (Nina Zenik) – Promoted to series regular for season 2
• Daisy Head (Genya Safin) – Promoted to series regular for season 2

We have new casting members for Shadow and Bone Season 2 confirmed as of mid-January 2022.

These are the characters that Netflix can now confirm it is casting.

• Patrick Gibson as Nikolai Lantsov – A Prince who develops an alter ego by the name of Sturmhond and recruits a crew of mercenaries and soldiers to help Ravka. A confident, bubbly character. This character was initially mentioned in interviews. Gibson notably appeared in Netflix’s The OA.

• Anna Leong Brophy as Tamar Kir-Bataar – A Grisha Heartrender (ability to manipulate bodies) and carries two Axes. This character is a twin brother to Tolya, listed below. Brophy is well-known for his work on Back and Traces.

• Lewis Tan as Tolya Yul-Bataar – Described as big and muscly, Tolya will be a mercenary among the crew of Sturmhond. Tan is perhaps best known from Netflix’s Wu Assassins or Mortal Kombat.

• Jack Wolfe as Wylan Hendriks – Son of a wealthy merchant and transported into the criminal underworld after joining the Crows as a skilled chemist and demolition expert. Wolfe appeared in Netflix’s The Witcher and Inside No. 9.

IMDb reports Janet Kumah as Keme for season 2. Joanna McGibbon is also being reported to play Nadya.

Here's what to expect in Shadow and Bone season 2, Netflix

Let’s now take a stab at trying to predict what we can expect from season 2.

Here's a quick summary of the first season. The heroes return to the fold and more death is on the horizon. Kirigan uses Alina’s growing powers to create a new tunnel of light to enable passage through the darkness within the fold. It seems that the world has become more fractured than ever after a major fight broke out.

Many characters are still struggling to grasp the stags power. However, Alina sees that she and Kirigan can harness it.

Ben Barnes spoke about the character he would adapt to and change in Season 2 of The X-Files with his newfound power.

“He’s someone who has had an army, and has been in charge of this medieval hierarchy, someone who’s revered and feared. But he’s even more alone now – with a handful of vendettas, and an amassed group of people trying to kill him. He’s sort of all-powerful now. He just has to think something dark, and it will happen. So it’ll be interesting to see which characters we find him interacting with going forward.”

Jessie Mei Li spoke to DigitalSpy and made the following comments:

“Alina goes from being a scared, little pup who can’t look at anyone in the eye, to suddenly having this sense of gravity to her. We feel that she’s grown a lot, and she’s really strong. But she’s still got a long way to go, which is a really nice place to leave her. We know where she’s going now, and where she’s got to go.”

It remains to be determined how closely the series sticks to the books. It’s been pretty close thus far with some notable deviations but the central plotline of season 2 should follow Siege and Storm. Here’s the synopsis for the second book:

“The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.”

According to a season 2 synopsis seen by What’s on Netflix, the second season will see Alina and Mal on the run looking for another mythical target that will aid them in their fight against Kirigan while potentially teaming up with a new ally.

Season 2 will feature The Crows, who were back in Ketterdam to face old foes.

In season 2 we’re promised a season of “political intrigue, bloody battles, flying ships, reunited friends, new countries, and a family secret that will shatter all expectations.”

Is Shadow and Bone Season 2 still in production?

We reported in November 2021 that production had been set to start in January 2022.

Shadow and Bone 2 season 2 will be shot entirely in Budapest and runs from January to July 2022. A new listing indicates that filming will begin on January 10, and continue until May 18, according to an updated listing.

The series is produced in Budapest's ORIGO Studios.

Josh Barry, who serves as an executive producer on the series, posted on January 9th that there was a “big week ahead”. David Wurawa, who plays Edyck on the series seems to confirm that filming has already started but filming will continue regardless.

Netflix announced alongside casting announcements that filming was underway beginning January 13th. They also provided an exclusive look at the cast.

You can see below the cast assembled in the theater before filming begins.

Filming for the series is reportedly scheduled to wrap on May 18th, 2022 although we’ve yet to have that confirmed. All wrap dates can be changed.

What time will Shadow and Bone season 2 premiere on Netflix?

It seems impossible for the second season of the series to be available on Netflix by 2022, given its busy filming schedule.

If it does come in 2022, it won’t be until very late in the year but again, we’re not predicting that to be the case.

Our best guess would be that Shadow and Bone season 2 returns to Netflix in early 2023 but we’ll keep you posted.

What number of seasons will Shadow and Bone be available on Netflix?

The show has been renewed for a second season.

With that said, the author of the book series, Leigh Bardugo is on the record in saying that she wishes there to be five seasons adding “There’s so much story.”

We’ll keep you posted throughout the development of Shadow and Bone season 2 as and when we get it but for now, let us know in the comments if you’re looking forward to a second season hitting Netflix.