“Shadow and Bone” canceled after 2 seasons at Netflix, “Six of Crows” spinoff also scrapped

"I'm heartbroken and deeply disappointed," author Leigh Bardugo said.

Netflix won't be returning to the Grishaverse.

After two seasons of Shadow and Bone, and despite having finished scripts for a spinoff, the streaming service has decided not to continue with the fantasy series.

The cancellation comes at a moment when streamers and studios are assessing their output after the resolution of the months-long writers' and actors' strikes, which ground TV and film production to a halt in Hollywood. According to Deadline, Netflix is also pulling the plug on Glamorous, Agent Elvis, Farzar, and Captain Fall.

Author Leigh Bardugo, whose YA books provided the source material for Shadow and Bone, addressed the show's axing in an a statement posted to social media Wednesday.

"Friends, by now you've probably heard that there will be no season 3 for Shadow and Bone and no Six of Crows spinoff," she wrote. "The news hit me hard. I'm heartbroken and deeply disappointed, but I'm also trying to hold onto my very real gratitude. Most authors never get to see their work adapted. Many who do end up regretting the experience. I'm one of the lucky few who can look at an adaptation with pride and tremendous joy."

Bardugo went on to thank the show's writers, crew, cast, and fans.

The live-action Shadow and Bone was a streaming hit when it premiered in April 2021. Adapting elements from Bardugo's core trilogy as well as her Six of Crows duology, the show introduced the kingdom of Ravka, populated by humans and magic users known as Grisha.

The country has been scarred for hundreds of years by the Shadow Fold, a large expanse of land perpetually shrouded in darkness, filled with monstrous creatures that devour any living thing that enters. Alina Starkhov (Jessie Mei Li), a lowly map maker in the Ravkan army, is discovered to be a Sun Summoner, a Grisha with the rare ability to harness sunlight. More than that, she could be the long-awaited saint prophesied to dispel the Fold for good.

The show also starred Ben Barnes as General Kirigan, the ageless Darkling who created the Fold; Archie Renaux as Mal, a tracker and Alina's love interest; Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, and Kit Young as members of the Crows gang of Ketterdam; Danielle Galligan as a Grisha Heartrender named Nina; and Calahan Skogman as a Fjerdan warrior named Matthias.

Season 2 introduced new characters from the Grishaverse canon, including Patrick Gibson as Nikolai Lantsav, the Ravkan prince leading a double life as a privateer named Sturmhond, and Jack Wolfe as Wylan, a fan-favorite demolitions expert tapped by the Crows.

Showrunner Eric Heisserer exclusively told EW earlier this year that a writers' room had been opened and scripts had already been written for a Six of Crows spinoff series to adapt the main events of Bardugo's Crows books. The plan was to run both that show and the Shadow and Bone mothership simultaneously, which is why series writer Daegan Fryklind was brought on as co-showrunner of the main series in season 2.

Now the Shadow and Bone season 2 finale, which debuted on Netflix in March, will be the last episode — with some pretty big cliffhangers as parting gifts.

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Related content:

• Shadow and Bone team has been quietly working on Six of Crows spin-off

• How Shadow and Bone season 2's ending sets up an expanded Grishaverse

• Shadow and Bone cast tease season 2 is 'very different from the books'
  

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