What do the new Shadow and Bone images tell us about Netflix’s series?

Netflix has been quietly filming an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s beloved Shadow and Bone fantasy series for a while, and last week, fans finally got their first official look. Judging by the initial set of images, it seems the adaptation will stay true to the books.

The streamer released both character posters and stills from the upcoming series, which will draw from both the Grisha Trilogy and Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology. Given that the two stories take place at different times, it’ll be interesting to see how the show will weave them together.

The images  suggest that the show’s first season will stick mostly to the plot of the first Grisha Trilogy book, Shadow and Bone. It seems we might also get some setup for a Six of Crows story, but whether the big heist will actually happen in these first episodes, we’re not sure.

So, what do we know about Shadow and Bone from the new images and posters?

The Grisha Trilogy

The first pair of posters shows off the two main characters of Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy: Alina Starkov and Malyen Oretsev. Two orphans who joined Ravka’s army — as a map maker and soldier, respectively — they’ll likely be the ones driving the plot of Shadow and Bone forward.

Alina’s poster shows her wearing a Ravkan army jacket, and Mal looks to be wearing the same, even if it’s hard to tell from his front-facing angle. Given Mal’s storyline in the Grishaverse novels, it’s possible not having the Ravkan symbol showing on his poster is intentional, a hint at the decisions he’s forced to make as the series unfolds.

As for the stills, Alina looks equal parts intrigued and confused, though it’s impossible to know what she’s looking at. She appears to be at a military encampment, so this scene could showcase her seeing the Darkling and the Grisha army for the first time.

The shot of Mal offers a bit more context, showing him holding a gun in a snowy area. There’s a good chance he’s searching for a certain stag in this moment, a creature book-readers know will play a major part in Alina’s story as it progresses. This, again, confirms that season 1 is following the first book. Whether we’ll get to see the events of books 2 and 3 depends on whether Netflix renews the series after seeing how it does.

And I’d be remiss to forget about Ben Barnes’ General Kirigan, who also has his own poster. His attire looks far more luxurious than what Alina and Mal are wearing, likely alluding to his connections in the Ravkan court and his leadership role in the nation’s military.

It’s also fitting that Barnes’ character is wearing mostly black, given his unique Grisha ability to control shadows and darkness. The series has gone to great lengths to keep details about Barnes’ character under wraps, though Leigh Bardugo did confirm on Twitter that General Kirigan and the Darkling are one and the same.

The only shot of General Kirigan — or the Darkling — released so far doesn’t give fans much to interpret. He’s standing indoors, likely giving one of his speeches to Alina, but it’s hard to make out much of what’s happening in the background:

The Six of Crows gang

Alongside the images and posters of the three main characters from The Grisha Trilogy are several shots showcasing the Six of Crows gang.

Bardugo’s duology that introduces Kaz Brekker and his band of misfits takes place after Alina’s story, but it seems the Netflix series is planning to work them into the show a bit early. The images suggest we’ll be taking a dive into the Crows’ backstories first.

Fans have already gotten snippets of the backstories for Nina Zenik and Matthias Helvar in the books. When Six of Crows begins, these two characters already have a tumultuous history, since Nina was once captured by Matthias and other Fjerdan soldiers, all of whom believe Grisha magic is dangerous witchcraft that must be eliminated.

In this next still, Nina and Matthias are navigating a snowy landscape — likely Fjerda — and look like they’re about to defend themselves. Whether this is from right before Matthias lets Nina go or a scene from the books remains to be seen, but it seems unlikely this is the infamous Ice Court.

Shadow and Bone also promises to explore the characters of Kaz, Inej and Jesper, though the characters’ ages imply that the series is set after their most formative backstory moments from the books. It would certainly be interesting to see their childhoods and the traumas they faced before becoming the Crows, and hopefully the series will go there.

Judging by this shot of the three of them, it seems the show will mostly focus on the group after they’ve already joined Ketterdam’s most formidable gang:

It’s hard to say what Kaz, Inej and Jesper are looking at here, but they appear to be negotiating with someone…and they don’t look thrilled about it. It’s possible this could be their introductory scene from Six of Crows, which sees Kaz dealing with a rival gang. But given the absence of Wylan in any of these pics, it’s hard to imagine the show will pick up where the book starts.

The posters of the Crows also show off their weapons of choice, with Inej holding her throwing knives, Kaz clutching his crow-head cane, and Jesper grinning with his revolvers. It’s all very on brand, and it promises that viewers will get some Crows action in season 1, even if we don’t see them breaking into the Ice Court just yet.

There are still plenty of questions surrounding what Shadow and Bone will cover, but hopefully fans will get a trailer soon to further clarify things. The new posters confirm an April 23 release date for the first season, so we don’t have that much longer to wait to see the Grishaverse brought to life. Let’s just hope the series does the books justice.

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