“Shōgun” seasons 2 and 3 in the works, will likely shake up Emmys race

The limited series will likely return for two more seasons, FX announced.

In a move that's both surprising and not, FX is currently developing Shōgun for two more seasons with the James Clavell Estate.

It's surprising because the show was designed as a limited-series adaption of the entire 1,100-plus-page literary classic from author Clavell and set to unfold in a 10-episode season. Even showrunner Justin Marks and lead writer Rachel Kondo didn't think the story needed more than one season.

At the same time, it's not all that surprising because the show has proven to be such a critical and commercial hit for FX. Star Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Lord Yoshii Toranaga, was reported to have closed a deal to return for season 2 just days before the network's renewal announcement.

Related: Shōgun stars Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada, Emmy nomination predictions, and more in EW's The Awardist

However, this change also means that Shōgun will likely no longer compete for Emmy nominations as a limited series since, you know, it's not anymore. It will likely join the running for drama series, which upends multiple races for different categories.

Likely contenders Gary Oldman (Apple's Slow Horses), Dominic West (Netflix's The Crown), and Nathan Fielder (Showtime's The Curse) may now have to compete for Lead Actor in a Drama against the impressive Sanada, as well as Cosmo Jarvis, who plays John Blackthorne on the show. And another Shōgun standout, Anna Sawai, who plays Lady Toda Mariko, now becomes major competition for the likes of Emma Stone (The Curse), Imelda Staunton (The Crown), and Carrie Coon (HBO's The Gilded Age) for Lead Actress in a Drama.

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In addition to Sanada,  co-creators/executive producers/writers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo are coming back with executive producer Michaela Clavell to start assembling a writers' room for new seasons.

Shōgun, which is inspired by a real civil war that led to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, is set in feudal Japan in the year 1600. Toranaga, a powerful daimyo of the Kanto region, is struggling to maintain his power against his rivals — chief among them, Lord Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira). Meanwhile, Blackthorne, an English sailor, finds himself shipwrecked on Japanese shores. Toranaga decides to use the information this foreigner possesses to his political advantage, and he appoints Mariko, the last of a disgraced noble family, as Blackthorne's translator.

Related: Shōgun's fraught political landscape and power players, explained

Clavell went on to publish multiple other books in what is now referred to as his Asian saga, but none of them continued the story of 1975's Shōgun.

When asked about season 2 prospects earlier this year, Marks told The Hollywood Reporter, "I don’t know. I keep saying it’s like we want to let everyone be on the same page when it comes to the book. And hopefully now the TV audience and the book audience are on the same page with what the story is and where it resolves. I think if we had a story, if we could find a story, we would be open to it. But I don’t think that anyone ever wants to be out over their skis without a roadmap and everything. And it’s also just about, do people want more of it?"

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