Shadow and Bone season 2 has finally started filming, according to cast member David Wurawa. The first season of the epic fantasy adventure, adapted from the hit Grishaverse novels by American author Leigh Bardugo, debuted on streaming platform Netflix on April 23, 2021. Based on the books Shadow and Bone (2012) and Six of Crows (2015), the first season became a huge success, topping streaming charts with 1.2 billion viewing minutes. Following teenage orphan Alina Starkov, and her discovery of a power that could save the world from the Shadow Fold, the show explores themes of power, corruption, class, and coming of age.

The success of the YA novels was well documented before the adaptation, but the huge and perhaps unexpected success of the first season of the show when it began airing prompted Netflix to renew it for a second season in June 2021. The new season will be based on the second novel in the series Siege and Storm (2013), alongside original storylines. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian star Ben Barnes, who plays the villainous Darkling in the show, revealed back in October that the Shadow and Bone season 2would start filming soon, and anticipation has been high since, with fans looking for any clues as to when the season might begin shooting.

This weekend, fans finally got the answer they wanted when Wurawa revealed that the second season had indeed started filming. Taking to social media, the actor-producer posted an image from his Instagram story with a quote “The filming for Season 2 of Shadow and Bone has officially started.” He also included an array of set images, whetting the appetites of fans everywhere, and confirming that production is officially underway.

Wurawa, who studied acting in both the US and the UK, plays the role of Edyck in the show, an enforcer in the Dime Lions, and appeared in the first two episodes of Shadow and Bone season 1. It was unclear whether the multilingual actor, who also appeared in the TV show Barbarians, or his character, would return to the franchise. However, social media has proven to be a valuable tool for actors and filmmakers in recent times to make surprise announcements to fans, such as Kingpin actor Vincent D'Onofrio's cryptic tweet suggesting his character would appear in Hawkeye. Whilst there are cases where stars would be unable to directly come out and say something, in this case it seems clear that, now filming has begun, Wurawa has no issues whetting fan appetites with on-set photos, and generating interest in the upcoming season, as well as the direction Edyck's story could take.

Shadow and Bone has been a feather in the cap for Netflix, as the streaming giants look to find fantasy content good enough to compete with Amazon Prime Video, who boast the Wheel of Time series, as well as the upcoming and highly anticipated Lord of Rings TV adaptation. The success of Shadow and Bone has put Netflix in a strong position, and there will be hope that season two of the show can be as successful as the first season, and that there will be opportunities to develop more seasons in the future. Whilst Bardugo's books run just 3 volumes (plus the Six of Crows duology), there is certainly an opportunity to create more original storylines in the Grishaverse, and there is no reason why Shadow and Bone cannot run for several successful seasons.