Shogun miniseries: FX to adapt historical series Shogun

A revival of the miniseries Shogun will be coming to FX.

According to Deadline, FX has announced the creation of a 10-episode season that adapts the bestselling novel Shogun by James Clavell.

A previous adaptation of the book aired in 1980 and was a huge success.

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The book, as well as the previous television adaptation, is set in the world of feudal Japan as seen through the point of view of a Westerner, an outsider to the culture. But according to John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks, this is where the new series will be different and strive to be something original.

The new series will feature multiple viewpoints, with a particular focus on incorporating the Japanese perspective as well.

This is incredibly important because there is really no point in re-adapting a timeless work that has already been a hit series unless you bring something new to the story.

If the idea is simply to turn it into a series simply for the point of putting it onscreen because it was a huge hit before, that doesn’t really bring anything new or original to the concept. Which means viewers don’t have much incentive to watch.

One of the most notorious examples of this was when they remake Psycho virtually shot-for-shot. Unsurprisingly, the concept did not work at all and the film was widely considered a bomb, both at the box office and with audiences.

The original Psycho was a landmark achievement in cinema that was a game changer for the medium. It is important to note that like Shogun, the original Psycho was also an adaptation of a book.

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An original modern interpretation of Psycho could have been a huge hit, as shown by the success of Bates Motel, the prequel story of Norman Bates, his mother, and their infamous motel.

So it’s good to hear that the creators plan to come up with their own vision with Shogun instead of just copying what has already been done.

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