Last year, Netflix canceled Shadow and Bone, its adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's epic fantasy novels. That also meant that Netflix wasn't moving ahead with its Six of Crows spinoff, which some fans were even more excited about than the original show.
However, the fans are passionate and have gone above and beyond to try and get Netflix to give the franchise another chance. They've organized a full-on Save Shadow and Bone / Six of Crows campaign, complete with a petition (which hundreds of thousands of people have already signed), watch parties, Twitter, Instagram and much more.
The cast members have noticed the efforts, including Archie Renaux, who played Alina Starkov's best friend Malyen Oretsev. "Yeah, that's been incredible," he told Screenrant. "That has really kind of blown my mind. I've seen it, the petitions and stuff. It's amazing how much of a community that fan base is." He even compared Shadow and Bone fans to people who watch football (soccer to those of you in the U.S.), whose passion is legendary:
"Yeah, it's quite mind-blowing that, how passionate they are and how much love they have for it. I think they've got each other; they've got this mutual thing that they love. I have it with football. I've got a community of Chelsea fans. I'm in a Chelsea chat, and we've got the same thing. We've got this love for Chelsea, and now we've met each other. We go to games and stuff and buy and sell tickets, and we've got this little community now."
Shadow and Bone is set in a fantasy world inspired by czarist Russia. Alina Starkov is the Sun Summoner, who has the power to summon light that can hurt the monsters in the Shadow Fold, a long strip of darkness which divides the country of Ravka. The second season ended with a big turn in Alina's story, which makes it extra frustrating that Netflix pulled the plug. Meanwhile, Six of Crows would have revolved around a group of golden-hearted mercenaries living in the city of Ketterdam.
Could these fan campaigns actually make a difference in reviving the franchise on Netflix? I won't say no for sure — Warrior Nun, another canceled Netflix fantasy show, is coming back as a movie trilogy — but it does seem on bed rest for now. "I think it'll always be on Netflix," Renaux said. "That's just a shame we didn't get to at least round it off a little bit."
Indeed, you can watch the first two seasons of Shadow and Bone on Netflix. And if you want to try and push things further, check out all the resources from the Save Shadow and Bone / Six of Crows campaign.
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.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels