Shadow And Bone Showrunner Demanded Six Of Crows Be Included, Or Else

Showrunner of Shadow and Bone, Eric Heisserer, has admitted he had no plans of doing the show without Six of Crows characters. The recently launched Netflix series premiered in late April and remains a hit amongst viewers to this day.

Now in a new interview with Variety,  Heisserer reflected on his Shadow and Bone journey. However, when it came to the show’s development, he only had one condition set out: access to the Six of Crows characters.

He states, “I told them at the time, ‘I’m not going to touch this series unless I also have the “Six of Crows” duology and have those characters. I don’t see a show without both.”‘ But a little more persuasion was needed to fulfill his wants.

Heisserer recalls, “They said, ‘Well, we don’t have rights to that.’ And I said, ‘Well OK, good luck,”‘ Fortunately for him, Netflix was able to secure the rights to Six of Crows, including its sequel “Crooked Kingdom” and the short story collection, “The Language of Thorns.”

The decision to combine both literary series seemed controversial initially to fans, but considering the show’s positive reviews, the apprehensions have since been put to rest. By bringing both universes together, some say the show has managed even to outshine the novels.

Although Netflix hasn’t yet confirmed a second instalment, it is sure to explore more of the Six of Crows narrative. Both Heisserer and Bardugo have also teased the appearance of the final Crow, Wylan Van Eck, for Season 2, and there is much more to explore in terms of the other characters. Including Wyland, Tolya and Tamar to name a few.

Other than Six of Crows, the author also has a second series in the Grishaverse called King of Scars which could lay the groundwork for future installments. Furthermore, with Heisserer harboring a lot of affection towards the Six of Crows series, he already has a lot planned for the show’s future.

Based on Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels, Shadow and Bone follows orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) as she ventures out to battle evil forces surrounding the fictional nation of Ravka while trying to hone her newly revealed powers which could unite the world.

Season 1 is now available for streaming on Netflix.

About Shadow and Bone (2021)

Shadow and Bone is an American fantasy TV series developed by Eric Heisserer and 21 Laps Entertainment for Netflix. It is based on the Grisha novel trilogy, the first of which is Shadow and Bone and the Six of Crows novel duology by Leigh Bardugo.

The show follows orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov who discovers she possesses extraordinary powers which could change the world. As she ventures out on a journey to hone her powers, she must find friends among foes as dark forces conspire against her.

Main cast members include Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Ben Barnes, Zoe Wanamaker, and more. Season 2 is out now.