Adaptations of fantasy novels have been announced left and right since Game of Thrones came to an end, with series like HBO’s His Dark Materials and Amazon Video’s The Wheel of Time being pitched as the next big thing for fantasy fans. And Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, which will adapt Leigh Bardugo’s YA novels set in the Grishaverse, is another contender when it comes to new fantasy adaptions we’ll love — though, up until yesterday, fans didn’t know all that much about the series.
Casting is something fans of Bardugo’s books have been particularly interested in after the show was given the green light, especially since Bardugo and showrunner Eric Heisserer have repeatedly assured fans that they’ll keep the characters true to their book descriptions. And yesterday, we finally got news about the main cast. In a series of Twitter and Instagram posts, fans got their first look at Alina Starkov, the Darkling, and Mal Oretsev from The Grisha Trilogy, as well as Kaz Brekker, Jesper Fahey, and Inej Ghafa from the Six of Crows duology.
Check out Bardugo’s introduction of the cast on Instagram:
Tackling the role of Alina — the Sun Summoner herself — is Jessie Mei Li, while Archie Reneaux will play her childhood companion, Mal. Playing villain General Kirigan is Westworld star Ben Barnes.
I love them. I do. #shadowandbone #Netflix pic.twitter.com/TgbdThSZRk
— Amita Suman (@amitasuman_) October 3, 2019
On the Ketterdam end of things, Freddy Carter will play leader of the Dregs and criminal mastermind Kaz Brekker. Amita Suman will play Inej, and Kit Young will take on the role of Jesper. The other half of the gang hasn’t been revealed yet, but there should be more announcements to come.
RELATED PRODUCT
Start a 7-day free trial of Disney+
Buy Now!
Buy Now!
If the Dregs are going to play a prominent role in the show’s first season, it’ll be interesting to see how the showrunners piece together Bardugo’s two stories. In the Grishaverse novels, Six of Crows takes place after the events of The Grisha Trilogy. Judging by the main cast, however, the Netflix show will place the events side by side — either that, or we’ll be getting a Six of Crows prequel story.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels