‘Shadow and Bone’ TV Series Will Solve Timeline Problem With ‘Prequel Stories’ for ‘Six of Crows’ Characters
Netflix revealed Thursday that its highly anticipated “Shadow and Bone” TV series will launch next April, unveiling a cryptic teaser that has left us with more questions than answers about the show. But some answers we did get today came courtesy of “Shadow and Bone” trilogy author Leigh Bardugo and the Netflix series’ creator, Eric Heisserer, who explained in a Q&A provided by the streaming service how they will solve their timeline problem.
See the interview below:
How did you approach combining both the Shadow and Bone Trilogy and the Six of Crows Duology — which take place in the same universe, but on different timelines?
ERIC HEISSERER: The books are all set chronologically, so we technically don’t get to events in the Six of Crows books until after the Shadow and Bone books have ended. So what Leigh and I had to do was essentially invent prequel stories for the key Six of Crows characters this season — Kaz, Inej, and Jesper — to fit alongside what is happening in the Shadow and Bone storyline. That’s been the heavy lifting.
Also Read: Netflix's 'Shadow and Bone' Adaptation to Premiere in April - Watch the Cryptic First Teaser (Video)
LEIGH BARDUGO: We’ve taken the stories of Shadow and Bone and the characters of Six of Crows and we’ve brought them together in what I think will be a really unexpected way. Eric and our writers’ room and our directors have built something entirely new that still somehow stays true to the characters and to the heart of the stories. And it wasn’t easy! Eric took two fantasy series — with powers and creatures and horrors and heists — and molded them into this cohesive, incredible thing. I don’t think I could’ve been more lucky in the person that we found to hand the keys over to. It wasn’t just the keys to a book or one series, it was a whole world I had been working on for the better part of my career. I didn’t do it lightly. I trusted him and I was right to trust him.
Since the timelines have been combined, can fans expect to see certain characters who don’t meet in the book meet in the series?
HEISSERER: Yes, I get most excited talking about certain characters meeting certain other characters — meetings that don’t happen in the books because they’re set on different timelines. But they happen in the show, and I believe those moments are meaningful.
Why do you think the show will appeal to both longtime fans of the books and brand new fans?
BARDUGO: When they watch this show, audiences are going to encounter a world that feels fully realized — but that doesn’t feel like any place they’ve been before. When I was on set, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay in that world longer. This is a privilege that so few authors get, to see their worlds brought to life right in front of their eyes. When you start an endeavor like this, you don’t know what’s going to happen. To have your expectations surpassed, to see magic on top of magic, and to see things come to life in a way that is bigger and more beautiful than you ever could have hoped, it’s impossible to fathom.
Watch the “Shadow and Bone” teaser here.
Read original story ‘Shadow and Bone’ TV Series Will Solve Timeline Problem With ‘Prequel Stories’ for ‘Six of Crows’ Characters At TheWrap
