The new Stephen King show has dashed my hopes for a revival of Shadow & Bone

Stephen King’s The Institute Show destroyed any hope I had for a Shadows and Bones Revival. Shadows and Bones is a fantasy series for young adults, based on the Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo, and its popularity skyrocketed after its premiere in April 2021. Shadows and Bones captivated me from the start with a talented cast including Ben Barnes, Jessie Mei Li and Archie Renaux. The show brought some of my favorite characters and relationships to life with a compelling narrative, making it a thrilling experience from start to finish.

Netflix officially canceled Shadows and Bones in November 2023, but fans have campaigned tirelessly to save the show ever since, citing the series’ strong viewership numbers as well as positive reviews of the first two seasons. From rewatch parties to organized hashtag trends, The audience never gave up the opportunity Shadows and Bonesreturn in any form, either for season 3 or through the also canceled Six of the Crows spinoff. However, I fear that Barnes’ latest project may be a bad sign.

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The cancellation of Shadow and Bone means that storylines such as budding romance, new leadership and dangerous curses will never be resolved.

Ben Barnes has just signed on for MGM+’s new Stephen King show “The Institute”

Barnes’ casting makes a revival of Shadow and Bone less likely

Recently, MGM+ announced Barnes as one of the two leading actors for the adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institute alongside Mary-Louise Parker. Barnes will play a former police officer, Tim Jamieson, and the series has already received an order for eight episodes. While I am excited to see Barnes star in such an exciting project as this, I am disappointed that this is likely the end of Shadows and Bones. The actor would probably not accept a lead role in a show if a Shadows and Bones a revival was emerging.

It is possible Shadows and Bones could return without Barnesand the demise of his character, the Darkling, in Season 2, Episode 8, offers an easy way out. However, bringing the series back without its main antagonist would be a mistake and seems unlikely. Even several months after the series was canceled, the Darkling remains one of my favorite fictional antagonists, and many viewers feel the same way. I can’t imagine a way forward for Shadows and Bones without a version of the Darkling and Barnes’ commitment to The Institute makes his return less likely.

Other Shadow & Bone stars have moved on to other projects

Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter and Daisy Head all have projects ahead of them

To make matters worse, I know that Ben Barnes is not the only one Shadows and Bones Actor with a busy schedule. Archie Renaux’s promising career has been marked by films such as The other Zoey, Improvedand the latest extraterrestrial Rate, Alien: RomulusRenaux will also star in a new show called The jetty.

Meanwhile, Freddy Carter has recently been the focus of shows like The Doll Factory And Death in ParadiseDaisy Head will also appear in the upcoming show The grey houseironically, next to Barnes’ The Institute Co-star Mary-Louise Parker. With all these projects, it does not look like any of the actors are for a Shadows and Bones revival in the foreseeable future. While this is disappointing for me and probably for other fans of the series, it is a small consolation to see that the actors, Barnes included, are having such great success.

The Institute

Luke Ellis, whose parents were murdered. He wakes up in the institute in a room that looks exactly like his own, except that it has no window. In front of his door are other doors, behind which are other children who got there in the same way as Luke.

Streaming service(s)

MGM+

Seasons

1

Directors

Jack Bender

Number of episodes

8th

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Shadows and Bones

Based on Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling Grishaverse novels, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone tells the story of Alina Starkov, an orphan and soldier who unleashed a power that could potentially free her country. Instead, Alina joins an elite army of soldiers known as the Grisha in the Shadow Corridor, an area of ​​mysterious darkness that grows every year and threatens to consume her world. Alina quickly learns that nothing is as it seems, and that she’ll need more than the power of magic to get through.

Pour

Daisy Head, Kit Young, Julian Kostov, Ben Barnes, Jessie Mei Li, Simon Sears, Gabrielle Brooks, Amita Suman, Kevin Eldon, Danielle Galligan, Jasmine Blackborrow, Freddy Carter, Zoe Wanamaker, Sujaya Dasgupta, Luke Pasqualino, Archie Renaux, Calahan Skogman

Seasons

2

Release date

23 April 2021

Authors

Eric Heisserer, Vanya Asher, Daegan Fryklind, Shelley Meals, Christina Strain, M. Scott Veach, Donna Thorland, Erin Conley, Nick Culbertson

Directors

Mairzee Almas, Lee Toland Krieger, Jeremy Webb, Bola Ogun, Karen Gaviola, Laura Belsey, Dan Liu

Showrunner

Eric Heisserer

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