FX just ordered a project that it’s calling its largest production to date: An adaptation of James Clavell’s epic best-selling novel Shōgun.

The production team includes Tim Van Patten (Sopranos and the Game of Thrones pilot) who will direct multiple episodes, Eugene Kelly (Westworld) and Ronan Bennett (Public Enemies) who will write the series, and producers Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Michael De Luca, and Michaela Clavell.

“The story of Shōgun has captivated audiences since James Clavell first released his epic novel more than 40 years ago,” said FX chief John Landgraf, who announced the order at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills on Friday. “The themes of an outsider encountering a new culture are as relevant today.”

Shōgun, set in feudal Japan, “charts the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai: John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance.”

The miniseries will consist of 10 episodes. The novel Shōgun was published in 1975 and has since sold 30 million copies worldwide. There’s no cast or release date yet.

The project is bound to attract close scrutiny as Hollywood productions set in Asian cultures have drawn plenty of criticism in recent years for their hiring decisions and storylines.

At the Television Critics Association’s press tour in Beverly Hills on Friday, FX chief John Landgraf assured that this new version will be rather different than the 1980 miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain which primarily focused on the perspective of its white male lead.

“It’s really told from multiple points of view, not just the singular western white male point of view,” Landgraf said. “It’s told from many Japanese points of view. I’m learning and understanding things about feudal Japanese culture and religion that I never knew before. We’re casting wonderful Japanese actors. If you exotics or fetishize Japanese cultures through the male gaze [that would be a problem], but I believe there’s an opportunity to tell the story of two cultures in a way that wasn’t done before.”

A year ago, Shōgun was deep into pre-production, with several actors cast and production start date fast approaching, when FX put the limited series on hold. Last spring, Counterpart creator Justin Marks was brought on as writer and executive producer. Now, several months later, the series, based on James Clavell’s best-selling novel, is back on track and setting up a shoot in Japan with one major obstacle in sight — the Summer Olympics.

“It’s a big re-adaptation in a sense that we had many scripts and were in pre-production, and we ended up for various reasons deciding that we didn’t believe in the production plan and we didn’t think the scripts in their current form were as good as they could be,” FX Networks Chairman John Landgraf told Deadline during TCA earlier this month. “The writer (Ronan Bennett) was no longer available to keep working on those scripts, so we took it down to the studs, we started from scratch. Now are well into development, and are really excited about the scripts that are coming out of that. We have read multiple scripts, multiple rewrites of scripts, multiple outlines.”

Both Landgraf and FX entertainment president Eric Schier praised Marks, saying that he “is doing a really good job.”


Jungle Book scribe Justin wrote the first two episodes of the new incarnation of Shōgun with supervising producer (and wife) Rachel Kondo, who is of Japanese descent. The series’ writing team also includes co-executive producer Shannon Goss, consulting producer Matt Lambert, script editor Maegan Houang and staff writer Emily Yoshida. FX had been employing cultural consultants to help with the scripts.

“A very part of what is challenging about it from a production standpoint is, you could do a very westernized version of Shōgun in the past, and now you have to make it really authentic,” Landgraf said. “And it’s really challenging shooting in Japan because it’s a very different production culture than American culture, and this is a big, big production. It’s not just getting great scripts, which we do but coming up with a production plan is really challenging.”

The production process in Japan requires completed scripts much earlier than in other countries, which is not done for vetting or political approval, Landgraf said.

“It’s more that there is a sense of ownership each of the crafts people has, that they are not the same kind of freelance work-for-hire people that are available in England and the U.S,” he said. “And if you want first class work out of them, you can’t say ‘here, come do this’. You have to engage them as makers and crafts people in their area, and they have to have time to digest, think, plan.”

There is another big factor complicating plans for filming Japan in the coming months.

“We are actively exploring production options, and there is also the fact that if you want to shoot in jJapan, you can’t shoot in Japan this summer during the Olympics,” Schier said. “But we are exploring it and it’s something we are really excited about.”

Japan’s Tokyo is host of the 2020 Summer Olympics, which take place from July 24-August 9.

FX has previously billed the 10-episode series as its largest international scale production, with filming in the U.K. and Japan.

Marks serves as an executive producer of the series with Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich of DNA TV, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell and Tim Van Patten who all had been on board since Shōgun initially received a green light by FX in August 2018. There is no production start date set yet.

Set in feudal Japan, Shōgun charts the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai: John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance.

The 1980s adaptation, starring Richard Chamberlain, won the Emmy for best limited series.

Shōgun, FX’s limited series based on James Clavell’s bestselling novel, wrapped production in June, and will air in 2023.

Landgraf said, “We wrapped physical production on the limited series Shōgun in June, which was by far our biggest and most ambitious production ever. We still have a long process of post-production ahead of us but the show looks fantastic and will debut later next year.”

The series stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis and Anna Sawai.

Written by Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, Shōgun is set in feudal Japan. It charts the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai: John Blackthorne (Jarvis), a risk-taking English pilot major who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga (Sanada), a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko (Sawai), a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties who must prove her value and allegiance.

Counterpart creator Marks wrote the FX adaptation with his wife, Kondo, who is of Japanese descent. Marks executive produces with late author Clavell’s daughter, Michaela Clavell. Kondo co-executive produces. Shōgun is produced by FX Productions.

FX greenlighted Shōgun in summer 2018. Several months later, as the series was in active pre-production, the network put the project on hold.