Shadow and Bone Update: For a while, Netflix has been silently shooting an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s iconic fantasy series Shadow and Bone, and viewers finally got their first official look last week. It seems like, judging from the initial collection of pictures, the adaptation will remain faithful to the novels.
Both character posters and stills from the forthcoming series were published by the streamer, which will borrow from both the Grisha Trilogy and Bardugo’s duology of Six of Crows. It’ll be fascinating to see how the show can weave them together, considering that the two stories take place at various times.
The pictures suggest that the first season of the show will largely adhere to the storyline of the first book of the Grisha Trilogy, Shadow and Bone. It seems we might get some setup for the Six of Crows tale as well, but we’re not sure if the big heist would really happen in these first episodes.
So, from the recent pictures and posters, what do we know about Shadow and Bone?
Shadow and Bone: The Grisha Trilogy
The two main characters of Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy are seen in the first pair of posters: Alina Starkov and Malyen Oretsev. Two orphans who joined the army of Ravka, as a mapper and soldier, respectively, are likely to be the ones pushing the Shadow and Bone plot forward.
The poster of Alina shows her wearing a Ravkan army hat, and Mal looks like she’s wearing the same thing, even though it’s hard to tell from the front-facing perspective. Provided Mal’s plot in the Grishaverse novels, the Ravkan icon seen on his poster may not be deliberate, a hint at the choices he is compelled to make as the series progresses.
As for the stills, Alina seems fascinated and puzzled in equal parts, although it is difficult to tell what she looks at. She seems to be in a military encampment, so for the first time, this scene could show her seeing the Darkling and the Grisha army.
The shot of Mal provides a little more background, showing him in a snowy area with a rifle. At this time, there’s a fair possibility he’s hunting for a certain stage, a creature book-readers know would play a significant role in the tale of Alina as it progresses.
This, again, confirms that the first book suits season 1. Since watching how it does, whether we’ll get to see the events of books 2 and 3 depends on whether Netflix renews the season.
And I would be remiss to forget about General Kirigan of Ben Barnes, who also has a poster of his own. His clothes look even more expensive than what Alina and Mal are wearing, perhaps relating to his relationships in the Ravkan court and his leading position in the military of the country.
The six of Crows gang
Several shots showing the Six of Crows gang are amid the photos and posters of the three main characters from The Grisha Trilogy.
After Alina’s story, Bardugo’s duology that introduces Kaz Brekker and his band of misfits takes place, but it seems the Netflix series expects to work them into the show a little early. The pictures suggest that first, we will be taking a look into the backstories of the Crows.
Fans have also received snippets of Nina Zenik and Matthias Helvar’s backstories in their novels. These two characters already have a turbulent past as Six of Crows starts, as Nina was once kidnapped by Matthias and other soldiers of Fjerdan, all of whom believe that Grisha’s magic is a deadly practice that must be abolished.
Nina and Matthias are negotiating a snowy terrain in the next one, presumably Fjerda, and look like they are going to protect themselves. It remains to be seen if this is from just before Matthias lets Nina go or a scene from the novels, although it seems doubtful that this is the notorious Ice Court.
Shadow and Bone also promise to discuss Kaz, Inej, and Jesper’s characters, but the ages of the characters mean that the series is set after the books’ most formative backstory moments. Before being the Crows, it will probably be fascinating to see their childhoods and the traumas they endured, and hopefully, the series will go there.
With Inej carrying her throwing knives, Kaz gripping his crow-head cane, and Jesper grinning at his revolvers, the posters of the Crows even show off their weapons of choice. It’s all so much on the label, and it appears that in season 1, fans can get some Crows action even though we don’t see them just breaking into the Ice Court.
