“Shogun” is a production that takes viewers to Japan at the turn of the century, then on the brink of civil war. The main character is Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), who must fight for his life when his enemies from the Council of Regents unite against him. He is helped by John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), an English navigator for whom Torangi’s victory will have personal benefits. The fate of Toranaga and Blackthorne is inextricably linked with their translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) – a mysterious Christian noblewoman and the last representative of a disgraced family. Serving her master in this tense political landscape, Mariko must reconcile her partnership with Blackthorne with her lifelong faith and her obligations to her deceased father.
The 10-episode adaptation of James Clavell’s best-selling novel was created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, who also served as showrunner and executive producer. The other executive producers are Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca and Rachel Kondo. The series was created by FX Productions.
The series stars award-winning Japanese actors and actresses, including Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige, Toranaga’s close ally; Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi, the young leader of the fishing village where Blackthorne’s ship was found; Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari, a powerful bureaucrat who is Toranaga’s main rival; Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji, a widow who must find a new calling in the face of her master’s struggle; Tokuma Nishioka as Toda Hiromatsu, Toranaga’s trusted general and closest friend; Shinnosuke Abe as Toda Hirokatsu (“Buntaro”), Mariko’s jealous husband; Yuki Kura as Yoshii Nagakado, Toranaga’s brash son; and Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba no Kata, the heir’s respected mother who will stop at nothing to put an end to Toranaga standing in the way of her son’s rise to power.
Cosmo Jarvis is a 34-year-old British actor of Armenian descent. Initially, he developed a musical career – since 2006 he has released six albums. In 2012, he directed and starred in his own film. “The Naughty Room” is a 75-minute black comedy that did not bring its creator much fame.
Before “Shōgun”, viewers could admire Cosmo Jarvis in the costume melodrama “Persuasion” opposite Dakota Johnson. Previously he performed, among others, in “Lady M.” or “The Hour of Twilight”. In January 2023, it was announced that Jarvis had joined the cast of the film “Alto Knights”, which is scheduled to premiere in November of that year.
The series “Shōgun” is available on the Disney+ platform.
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