The Grishaverse on Netflix: Get chills with the ‘Shadow and Bone’ teaser
As fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse know, Netflix has plans to adapt the first book of her trilogy, Shadow and Bone, into a television series. The project was first announced back in January 2019, but news has largely been quiet on that front. If you don’t know what the Grishaverse is, here’s a basic primer along with everything that is currently known about the series.
What is the Grishaverse?
The Grishaverse refers to a series of six books: a trilogy, two duologies, and a collection of short stories. In the Grishaverse, which started back in 2012 with Shadow and Bone, readers find themselves in the Kingdom of Ravka. This Russian inspired world has to deal with something called the Unsea (or the Fold). This is a perpetually dark strip of world, cutting Ravka off from the sea.
Within the Unsea, there is a perpetual darkness and horrifying monsters within. But there are people called Grisha, who can manipulate the elements to be used as weapons, that can fight back against the monsters. In Shadow and Bone, we follow a Grisha named Alina Starkov, who can manipulate light. Needless to say, she’s going to be pretty valuable.
There are two sequels to Shadow and Bone, which are Siege and Storm (2013) and Ruin and Rising (2014). One duology for the Grishaverse is Six of Crows (2015) and Crooked Kingdom (2016) and the second is King of Scars (2019) and Rule of Wolves (2021). Finally, the collection of stories from the Grishaverse is called The Language of Thorns (2017). If you’re looking for something to read, then check out the Grishaverse.
What about Netflix’s Shadow and Bone?
Shadow and Bone is helmed by showrunner Erik Heisserer (Bird Box, Arrival) with author Leigh Bardugo serving as an executive producer for the series. The first season will be eight episodes, and will combine the events of Shadow and Bone plus Six of Crows. Newcomer Jessie Mei Li will star in the series as Alina Starkov, the light wielding Grisha.
Also confirmed for the series is Ben Barnes (The Punisher) as the Darkling/General Kirigan, Archie Renaux (Gold Digger) as Malyen Oretsev, Sujaya Dasgupta (Casualty) as Zoya Nazyalensky, Daisy Head (Harlots) as Genya Safin, and Simon Sears (Herrens Veje) as Ivan. By combining Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows, this means that fans will see events playing out earlier and a more fleshed out world.
It’s a great strategy to say the least, considering the wealth of characters and information given in Bardugo’s Grishaverse.
What else is going to happen?
Bardugo and Heisserer said that by combining these two books, we’ll see later characters, such as Kaz, Inej, and Jasper, get their own “prequel stories” so they can match up with the events of the books they arrive in. Characters who wouldn’t meet in the books may cross paths in the series. It definitely seems like they’re going for a more fleshed out world in the television show.
On seeing the Grishaverse adapted, Bardugo said, “When I was on set, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay in that world longer. This is a privilege that so few authors get, to see their worlds brought to life right in front of their eyes. When you start an endeavor like this, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
She added, “To have your expectations surpassed, to see magic on top of magic, and to see things come to life in a way that is bigger and more beautiful than you ever could have hoped, it’s impossible to fathom.”
When is Shadow and Bone coming out?
Netflix released an announcement teaser for the series on Dec. 17, which reveals that Shadow and Bone will hit the streaming service in April 2021.
