Shogun follows shipwrecked English sailor John Blackthorne, who is stranded in Japan. Lord Toranaga sees Blackthorne as a potential pawn in his dangerous political game for power. The mysterious Lady Mariko grapples with her marriage, faith, and loyalties as she is drawn to Blackthorne in this sprawling epic that twines these three lives together.
Shogun stars Cosmo Jarvis (Peaky Blinders), Hiroyuki Sanada (John Wick: Chapter 4), and Anna Sawai (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters). Shogun is based on the novel of the same name written by James Clavell. The series was created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks with executive producer Michaela Clavell.
2024’s Game Of Thrones Replacement Might Actually Be The Show We’ve Waited 5 Years For
A highly-anticipated series could finally become the first worthy replacement for Game of Thrones, nearly five years after the acclaimed series ended.
Screen Rant interviewed executive producer Michaela Clavell about Shogun. She discussed the collaboration process with Kondo and Marks as well as the team creating the world of Shogun. Clavell also explained how this series brings her father’s vision to life on screen praising the cast’s hard work.
Michaela Clavell Talks Shogun
Screen Rant: Shogun is absolutely amazing! When they said that this was an epic event, they were not kidding. How long has this show been in development for you?
Michaela Clavell: It’s been about eight years or so in its various incarnations and script writings and things. So it’s taken its time to make it to the screen, and a lot of thought and care went along the way from FX. So I think the time was on our side, it shows, and we were lucky to have that much time to make it right. Right?
I couldn’t agree with you more.
Michaela Clavell: We were lucky. The script was so polished by the time it began shooting, and the details, the levels, the text, the subtext, it was all in place. And then, of course, you add the brilliant performances from Hiro and Anna and Cosmo and all others. It just kept building, building, building from there. Because the big thing to get right is the script. Right? Justin and Rachel just did such a beautiful job of translating the book to the screen. And then the layers kept getting added and they were flawless.
How was your understanding of your father’s work deepened through the process of creating the series?
Michaela Clavell: Well, I don’t think it was deepened. I think I would put it a different way. I’m awestruck that they could do such a beautiful portrayal of the book because it’s a complex book he wrote in multi-layers. I mean, more layers than an onion, right? There’s lots and lots of stories, sub-stories, and subtexts. To be able to capture that on film and to put that into photography is pretty rare to be able to get that level of detail.
I think you almost have to see it a couple of times to catch it all. I think that just struck me as an incredible achievement on everyone’s part. And everyone played their part. The set was really filled with great enthusiasm about the project and the book, and people seemed proud and happy to be making it. And I think it shows in all the little, from the small to the large details. So I’m glad you felt that too.
Speaking of that, I felt like when I was watching the show, I felt like I was transported back in time. Can you talk about the incredible production design and authenticity Helen Jarvis and her team brought to Shogun?
Michaela Clavell: Oh, yeah. She was incredible. Before filming ever began, experts were hired from the period. Hiro himself is quite an expert on this period of 16th century Japan. The research and the expense that was done by FX, they were determined to get that right, was tremendous. They brought in people who were scholars. They brought in experts on the actual way to move. The way to fight is apparently different than it is now. The way of speaking is apparently quite different.
So the level of that detail, they were fearless about trying to portray and getting all these little minute details that add up to a big symphony. It’s like every little instrument, every little detail, played its part. And you’ve got this incredible orchestra playing at the end of it, and people cared to get it right. And I think that’s an important part of making anything is you’ve got to care in the beginning to get it right. And we got lucky that everybody cared so much.
Speaking of getting it right, I think the perfect people to kind of helm this are Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo. They did such a phenomenal job on this. Can you talk about collaborating with them to bring this epic vision to life?
Michaela Clavell: Yeah, it was a joy, because FX entrusted us with quite a bit of input, creative input, in terms of the book translation to the story and the script. And from the very beginning, the exchange of ideas was always based towards what’s in the book, from our point of view. What’s in the book? And, of course, Justin and Rachel made a lot of this in their own image as well.
Their humor came through, their layers came through. So the collaboration was a joy and was constant and was full of creativity. There is nothing those two can’t write about. They would take gobbledygook, like I’d go, “It doesn’t feel right. I’m not sure. I’m not sure about… there’s something. I don’t know what it is. There’s something…” And we’d talk for about 10 minutes and then they would go, “Yeah, I know what it is. It’s this, this, this, this.”
And they could somehow take all the input from the notes from FX, from myself, from everybody, and come out and make everything twice as good as it was before. And it was great anyway. So their collaboration, their intelligence, their relentless pursuit of perfection was astounding. I don’t know how they did it, but they did it for years and it shows.
About Shogun
When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, Lord Yoshii Toranaga discovers secrets that could tip the scales of power and devastate his enemies.
Check out our other Shogun interviews:
- Anna Sawai
- Justin Marks & Rachel Kondo
- Hiroyuki Sanada & Cosmo Jarvis
Shogun
Shogun is an FX original mini-series set in 17th Century Japan. Shogun follows John Blackthorne, who becomes a samurai warrior but is unknowingly a pawn in Yoshii Toranaga’s plan to become Shogun. The series stars Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne and Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga, along with Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, and Yûki Kedôin.
- Cast
- Cosmo Jarvis , Hiroyuki Sanada , Anna Sawai , Tadanobu Asano , Yûki Kedôin
- Seasons
- 1
- Network
- FX
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Writers
- Maegan Houang , Rachel Kondo , Justin Marks , Emily Yoshida
- Directors
- Frederick E.O. Toye , Jonathan van Tulleken
