Ominous music plays as we catch our first glimpse of Shadow and Bone during the teaser video for Netflix’s upcoming series. The only words spoken during the 40-second video are “you and I are going to change the world” followed by the revelation the series will premiere in April 2021.
The series is based on Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling Grishaverse novels and stars Jessie Mei Li (Alina Starkov), Archie Renaux (Malyen Oretsev), Freddy Carter (Kaz Brekker), Amita Suman (Inej), Kit Young (Jesper Fahey), and Ben Barnes (General Kirigan). Sujaya Dasgupta (Zoya Nazyalensky), Danielle Galligan (Nina Zenik), Daisy Head (Genya Safin), Simon Sears (Ivan), Calahan Skogman (Matthias Helvar), Zoë Wanamaker (Baghra), Kevin Eldon (The Apparat), Julian Kostov (Fedyor), Luke Pasqualino (David), Jasmine Blackborow (Marie), and Gabrielle Brooks (Nadia) also star in the first season.
Season one’s eight one-hour episodes were shot in Budapest, Hungary, with writer and executive producer Eric Heisserer handling showrunner duties. Author Bardugo is involved as an executive producer along with Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Dan Cohen, and Josh Barry for 21 Laps Entertainment and Pouya Shahbazian (New Leaf Literary & Media). Lee Toland Krieger directs and also executive produces.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Shadow and Bone finds us in a war-torn world where lowly soldier and orphan Alina Starkov has just unleashed an extraordinary power that could be the key to setting her country free. With the monstrous threat of the Shadow Fold looming, Alina is torn from everything she knows to train as part of an elite army of magical soldiers known as Grisha. But as she struggles to hone her power, she finds that allies and enemies can be one and the same and that nothing in this lavish world is what it seems.
There are dangerous forces at play, including a crew of charismatic criminals, and it will take more than magic to survive.
