It’s been a while since we’ve heard any good news about Shadow and Bone season 3. We were hoping Netflix would announce some news about their original series and confirm the Six of Crows spinoff at TUDUM 2023 this June, but that didn’t happen.
 |
| Shadow and Bone season 3 release date, cast, spoiler, trailer, countdown, and more |
Fans were also hoping that Netflix was going to renew Shadow and Bone for season 3 during its virtual upfronts presentation in May. While we saw renewals for a number of shows, including Ginny and Georgia and Virgin River, and release dates for other new seasons, like Virgin River season 5, Netflix did not share anything about Shadow and Bone season 3, which was disheartening for fans, to say the least.
Shadow and Bone season 2 premiered on Netflix in March 2023, and it’s one of the best Netflix shows of the year so far. Fans binge-watched the second season of the Netflix original series, and now, everyone wants to know what’s going on with Shadow and Bone season 3.
We had to wait almost two years to see Shadow and Bone season 2 after the first season premiered in April 2021.
We shared everything we know about Shadow and Bone season 3. We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more about what’s next for these great characters. The latest update was on Aug. 4, 2023.
Shadow and Bone has not been renewed for season 3 yet
Unfortunately, Shadow and Bone has not been renewed for season 3 yet, and it’s getting to the point where it’s starting to get a little worrisome. I’m not saying it’s definitely getting canceled, but we like to see renewals about two months after a season premieres. It’s been about five months since season 2 premiered.
It’s another not-so-good sign that Shadow and Bone season 3 and Six of Crows was not mentioned at TUDUM 2023. A whole bunch of other news was announced, including release dates and renewals. Assuming that Netflix has season 3 in the works, we would have imagined it would be announced at during the live presentation.
It’s still possible that season 3 will be renewed. Often, the cast renegotiates their contracts following season 2 and those negotiations can take a long time.
Hang in there, Shadow and Bone fans, and keep spreading the word about the show. We need as many people to watch as we can to make sure it gets renewed. Things are not looking so good so far, though.
Shadow and Bone casting director Sophie Holland comments on season 3
Sophie Holland, the Shadow and Bone casting director, told Deadline in May 2023 that they are “really hoping for a third season.”
“It seems to have a huge fan base. It’s a fresh, up-and-coming cast and the story is very faithful to the books, which is refreshing. It’s all about that first month’s performance on Netflix, I guess, so we’ll find out soon if it’s being recommissioned. It’s a tricky time, as you noted, so we’ll see.”
As of May, Shadow and Bone season 3 is still on the table, which is a good sign for the creators, cast, and everyone involved with the series. But now that it’s August, we’re looking for an update.
Shadow and Bone season 2 viewership numbers
According to Netflix, fans watched roughly 160 million hours of Shadow and Bone season 2 in its first four weeks after release (Update: A previous version of this story inaccurately represented the number of hours watched in Shadow and Bone‘s first four weeks). That’s not a bad number by any means, but it’s not nearly as high as some of the major Netflix hits we’ve seen lately.
Fans watched roughly 150 million hours of Outer Banks season 3 in its first week. Fans watched almost 170 million hours of The Night Agent in its first week. Ginny and Georgia season 3 pulled more than 160 million hours in its first week. Unfortunately, that number likely puts Shadow and Bone season 3 in jeopardy of being canceled.
Overall, the lower viewership numbers are still higher than we’ve seen for many Netflix shows that have gotten canceled. If there are high numbers of people watching the full season of Shadow and Bone season 2 and actually finishing the season, that’s also a big indicator to Netflix that people are enjoying the season even if that overall number is a bit lower than the bigger hits.
Is Six of Crows happening?
As we learned after season 2 premiered, there were already plans in place for a Shadow and Bone spinoff based on Six of Crows, which is the fourth book of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, but it focuses on Kaz, Jesper, Inej, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias. In the book, the “six of crows” take their talents to Fjerda for a major heist at the Ice Court, one of the most well-defended places in the country and probably the world.
Netflix hasn’t ordered the spinoff, but Eric Heisserer, who developed the story with a team of writers, said that the series would be eight episodes. It all depends on how Shadow and Bone does on Netflix, though, and as we mentioned, it’s not looking so good right now.
Will the writers’ and actors’ strikes affect Shadow and Bone season 3?
What makes things all the more complicated is that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are currently on strike after not being able to come to an agreement on their updated contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So that means that writers’ rooms cannot work on scripts for projects under the AMPTP, and actors cannot film. This applies to Netflix shows and movies.
It’s entirely possible that Netflix will decide to cancel Shadow and Bone not only for the viewership numbers but also because of the strikes. At this time, we do not have a timeline for when the strikes might end, so postponing any work on the third season might cause the studio to walk away from the series altogether. We’re just speculating here, but it’s a possibility we have to come to terms with as fans.
When could we see Shadow and Bone season 3 on Netflix?
Assuming Shadow and Bone gets renewed for a third season, which is a big “if” at this point, it’s probably going to be another big wait for the season. We had to wait 23 months between the first two seasons. With all the ground they covered in season 2, there’s definitely room to explore the story further, and they’d be using a lot of the same sets they used for the first seasons.
The production timeline would likely be a lot shorter, but still, cutting six months off is a lot. I can’t imagine seeing Shadow and Bone season 3 before fall or winter 2024 at this point.
Of course, the WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strike are ongoing, so even if there was a renewal, Shadow and Bone season 3 would not start the writing process. We know the scripts for Six of Crows are done, but we don’t know anything about whether or not Shadow and Bone season 3 was written. That could definitely slow pre-production down depending on the timeline.
Because of all these different things happening right now, we’re pushing our release prediction back to early 2025 — if a third season even happens.
Release Prediction: Early 2025
What would Shadow and Bone season 3 be about?
We know there are no plans for the Six of Crows story in Shadow and Bone season 3. That’s going to be its own thing if it happens. We also saw a pretty big shift in the end of Shadow and Bone season 2 and where the books ended. Mal and Alina are split up, and King Nikolai’s Coronation was interrupted by an assassin. We also see Alina using her powers and starting to like them. Uh-oh!
0 Comments