Shadow & Bone Season 3 star opens up about the show's cancelation

Netflix’s fantasy series Shadow & Bone Season 3 has been cancelled. Its spin-off, Six of Crows, was unfortunately met with the same fate.

Jessie Mei Li, who played Alina Starkov on the show, spoke about Shadow & Bone Season 3 not happening with The Hollywood Reporter, saying:

"It was just the most amazing time. It’s obviously devastating that it was canceled, but also it felt like we ended it on a high. Sometimes these shows go on and on and on. We had two of the best years of my life. It was so good. And we’re all just super close still."

Jesse Mei Li on Shadow & Bone Season 3 not happening

The story of Shadow & Bone is based on the bestselling books by Leigh Bardugo and follows Alina Starkov, a young mapmaker who learns she has a rare power that could change her country’s future.

Combining parts of the Shadow & Bone trilogy and the two Six of Crows novels, the show gave fans a thrilling story spanning two seasons. The series became a fan favorite due to its magical world and layered characters.

The show was first released in April 2021, but unfortunately, in November 2023, Netflix announced that Shadow & Bone Season 3 or any other spin-offs would not be coming out.

Speaking on how season two ended and that the show didn’t go on for an unnecessary period, Jessie said to The Hollywood Reporter:

"Which is a better ending than people being like, “How is this show still going?” But it’s frustrating because it felt like there was so much more to tell."

The cancellations happened after industry strikes, which caused Netflix to cancel many of its shows. Author Leigh Bardugo shared her sadness but thanked fans for the love they gave the series.

Season 2 ended with cliffhangers that could lead to more stories in Shadow & Bone Season 3. Alina destroyed the Shadow Fold by sacrificing Mal, but he was later brought back with forbidden magic called merzost. At King Nikolai’s coronation, Alina showed a surprising dark power by summoning shadows, hinting that she could become darker than she thought.

Meanwhile, Nikolai himself began to show signs of being infected by the Darkling’s shadow monsters. Thus, there was a lot that could be explored if Shadow & Bone Season 3 happened — but alas, it is not.

While it doesn’t look like Netflix will greenlight Shadow & Bone Season 3, some fans are hopeful. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if she’d like to resume playing Alina Starkov if the show ever got renewed, Jessie said:

"Oh God, of course. To go back with all my mates to Budapest and just have a lovely time? Absolutely. It would be a dream. And we do talk about it. Sometimes a bunch of us say, “Well, should we go back to Budapest on holiday? Just pretend we’re back there?"

While Shadow & Bone Season 3 or any spin-offs are not going to come out, you can stream the two seasons of the show on Netflix.

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