Shōgun season 3 eyes a major production shake-up, which would fulfill the show’s cancelled original plan when filming for season 1 began. Following the success of Shōgun season 1, development of seasons 2 and 3 began. While season 1 followed the story of James Clavell’s novel of the same name, season 2 is expected to continue with an original story.
However, despite taking place in feudal Japan, season 1 was actually filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. The city will also be the shooting location for Shōgun season 2, which is expected to begin filming in January 2026. For now, it remains to be seen where season 3 is going to film, and whether it’ll remain in Canada.
During an MPA industry panel at Tokyo International Film Festival, Variety asked Shōgun producer Miyagawa Eriko if future seasons of the show would possibly shoot in Japan. She didn’t rule out the possibility for season 3, explaining how scripts are not yet completed for the episodes. She stated she would want to try making a season filmed in Japan possible:
It’s not up to me, but I would love to, personally, and I will always be pitching some ideas and opportunities. I’m doing that now, I’ll be doing that throughout. Season 3, we don’t have scripts, we don’t know what it is yet. But, I’d love to.
Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga looking serious in Shogun
If Shōgun season 3 were filmed in Japan, it would fulfull a hope for the series’ production that’s been around since season 1. The debut episodes of the show were originally supposed to be filmed overseas, but issues with the COVID-19 pandemic and an inability to properly scout for locations made it impossible to film there.
The show also needed more space to film, preparing sound stages and needing backlots for production. This seems to have impacted the decision to film season 2 in Vancouver as well, making it easier for the series to return to a familiar location. However, the future doesn’t seem set in stone for future episodes when they get produced.
Japan currently has more filming incentives in place than when Shōgun season 1 ended, with a 50% cash rebate program for qualifying expenses. At the same time, there’s the hurdle of approval time, which makes it easier to film somewhere like Canada, where that timing is cut down. It doesn’t mean Japan is ruled out for the future, though.
If Shōgun season 3 does film in Japan, they’ll need to scout for locations that look similar to those in Vancouver. The series primarily films outdoors, meaning the environments in Japan would need to be very similar if the show were to continue following Toranaga’s story. It’s another obstacle, but one that could be overcome for authenticity depending on future decisions.
Release Date
2024 – 2025
Directors
Fred Toye, Jonathan van Tulleken, Charlotte Brändström, Takeshi Fukunaga, Hiromi Kamata
Writers
Rachel Kondo
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Hiroyuki Sanada
Yoshii Toranaga
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Cosmo Jarvis
John Blackthorne
