"Shadow and Bone" Showrunner is Secretly Working on a "Six of Crows" Spin-Off

After two long years, season 2 of Shadow and Bone debuted on Netflix and we finally learned where Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev, the Crows, and the others ran to after that fateful journey through the Shadow Fold in the season 1 finale. All eight episodes of Shadow and Bone season 2 are now available to stream, but ofc, fans are already wondering when season 3 might drop — or if it’s even happening.

The show is based on not one, but *two* series by author Leigh Bardugo: the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology. Alina’s journey isn’t over yet, and there are still twists and turns to bring to life on the small screen. Is Alina truly a Shadow Summoner now? Will she and Mal reunite? Is Nikolai, the King of Ravka, infected with darkness? Here’s everything we know (so far) about Shadow and Bone season 3.

Wait, will there be a season 3 of Shadow and Bone?

Good question. Netflix hasn’t announced season 3 of Shadow and Bone just yet — but (!) showrunner Eric Heisserer has previously teased the future of the fantasy series.

“This is absolutely a show that can go more than three seasons, for sure,” he told Variety after the season 1 premiere. “If I have to reframe it for Netflix to say, ‘You can still shut this down at three seasons, but we’re continuing with this other spin-off — whatever you want to call it — it still has legs.”

“I’m addicted to the cast and the world,” he added. “Having read the books, those people have been living rent-free in my head for so long, this is my revenge. I want to spend more time in their world.” Fingers crossed.

Who will be in the Shadow and Bone season 3 cast?

Since season 3 hasn’t been confirmed yet, we don’t know who will officially reprise their roles. But if renewed, we could probably expect the following cast members to return in season 3.

• Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov

• Archie Renaux as Mal Oretsev

• Ben Barnes as General Kirigan, aka the Darkling

• Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker

• Amita Suman as Inej Ghafa

• Kit Young as Jesper Fahey

• Daisy Head as Genya Safin

• Danielle Galligan as Nina Zenik

• Calahan Skogman as Matthias

• Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya

When will season 3 be released?

No word on this just yet, as Netflix still needs to confirm that season 3 is happening. If green-lit, we could look at previous season release dates for reference. Shadow and Bone season 1 premiered on April 21, 2021, and was renewed in June 2021. Season 2 premiered on March 16, 2023, and although its future is unknown, it’s possible that a renewal announcement could come within the next month or two.

Given this information, we probably wouldn’t see Shadow and Bone season 3 until late 2024 or early 2025.

Watch Seasons 1 and 2 of Shadow and Bone Now

What about potential future spin-off shows?

We might be getting more of the Crows, if all goes well. Eric Heisserer agreed to become the Shadow and Bone showrunner as long as Netflix got him the rights to Six of Crows as well, and it turns out that he's been quietly developing a spin-off shows based on that exact duology.

Nothing has been green-lit yet, and Entertainment Weekly confirmed that the spin-off show is dependent on the success of Shadow and Bone Season 2. But there are things in the works for Six of Crows show that would partially take place at the same time as the Shadow and Bone Season 2 Finale episode.

"One of the reasons, not all of them, that I got the privilege of working with Daegan Fryklind as co-showrunner in season 2 is that I was busy with the writers' room for Six of Crows. We are ready to launch that as its own story," Heisserer confirmed to EW.

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