Shadow and Bone have started shooting season two in Budapest. Fans of the books and show have been on the edge of their seats waiting for the cast list to be announced for this season.
When the new cast reveal came out two weeks ago, I was ecstatic.
If you aren’t one of the people who are currently deep in the fandom, this season introduces four new characters who are pivotal to the book series. For months there were speculations on who they were going to choose for these roles, many rumors surrounding cast by looking at who follows who on Instagram and general buzz of excitement for the second season.
I woke up, saw the reveal post and then was in a cheery mood for the rest of the day. I think each and every choice is book accurate and seemingly perfect for the role.
Nikolai Lanistov:
My biggest fictional crushes cast was perfect. They cast Patrick Gibson from The OA. Nikolai is my blond and beautiful privateer. Patrick is beautiful and he looks exactly like my imagination. I cannot wait to see him in his privateering getup.
I am a Nikolai fan. I am die-hard and am still holding out hope that he and Alina fall in love on the show.
I was nervous that the cast member was going to be someone I have seen in another show before, like some of the rumors about Brandon Flynn. I have never seen the OA, so I have no prior exposure to Patrick. This means I can see him fully in the role of Nikolai.
Wylan Van Eck:
Holy moly!
The casting for Nikolai was so good; I didn’t know it could get better. Jack Wolfe from The Witcher is AMAZING. Jack literally is Wylan. He looks like the producers pulled him out of Leigh Bardugo’s brain. He fits the little moppy-haired demolitions expert vibe perfectly!
Also, Wylan and Jesper’s storyline was my favorite romance in both these series. I think it was an injustice that he was not in the first season. But, the anticipation was worth it.
Tamar Kir-Bataar:
Anna Leong Brophy from Back is perfect also. I did not have a set vision for Tamar, but Anna fits my loose definition perfectly. Looking at pictures, I can tell Anna is perfect for the role.
Tolya Yul-Bataar:
Now this casting was interesting for me. Lewis Tan from Mortal Kombat is set to be Tolya. I imagined Tolya to be a huge hulk sized Heartrender. Lewis is not hulk sized, but he is still huge. He is also very attractive. I never thought Tolya was attractive while reading, but I can tell watching this series is going to be different.
The cast is officially perfect and I dont think any major players are missing anymore. I am seriously impressed and so it seems does the rest of Twitter. Filming has started in Budapest and I cannot wait to see this season.