Netflix has canceled Shadow and Bone and chosen not to move forward with plans for a Six of Crows spinoff.
According to Deadline, Shadow and Bone will not return for a third season. That outlet reports that the show’s second season, which had a large budget, didn’t meet with the same success as the first. Deadline notes that that factor coupled with delays caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike likely led to the cancellation.
Related: All Actors and Characters in Shadow and Bone Season 2
Based on the Grishaverse book series by Leigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone followed Alina Starkov, a young woman from the country of Ravka who discovers that she’s a powerful person known as the Sun Summoner. This leads her into a life of privilege, fame, and immense danger. She finds herself up against, and in a romantic entanglement with, the ancient and dangerous General Kirigan/Darkling.
Prior to this news, there were plans to also make a spinoff centered the Crows, a criminal gang that plays an important role in Shadow and Bone. No mention was made in Deadline’s reporting of that project, known tentatively as Six of Crows. However, EW‘s reporting claims that project is also dead, and Bardugo has confirmed the news online, describing herself as “heartbroken” in an Instagram post you can read below.
While both seasons of Shadow and Bone were well-received, the second had its fare share of pacing issues, owing to a choice to adapt several books at once. The Season 2 finale saw an assassin attacking a coronation ceremony for Alina and Ravkan prince Nikolai Lantsov, killing many in the process. In the end, Alina thwarted the attack, but the ending was something of a cliffhanger and brought with it a major change for her powers.
The first two seasons of Shadow and Bone are available to stream now on Netflix.
