Серіал «Шьоґун», версія 2024 року / FX
Jerry London, who directed the 1980 series «Shogun», reacted to the FX adaptation — and his words can hardly be called praise.
London emphasizes that the FX version is significantly different from his series, which he tried to make as accessible as possible to Western audiences — in the new adaptation, the filmmakers of «did not care about American viewers».
«Mine was based on the love story between Blackthorne and Mariko, and the new one — is based on Japanese history, and is more about Toranaga, who became Shogun. It’s very technical, but it’s hard for American audiences to understand. I talked to a lot of people who watched it, and they said they just turned off the series. So the creators didn’t care about the American audience».
Despite London’s words, the FX series has received a significant response from the audience and has already been extended for the second season, which will start filming this year (and this despite the lack of source material). In fact, the show also brought the creators and the cast a bunch of prestigious awards — four «Golden Globes» and a record 18 awards at «Emmy-2024»including Best Drama Series, as well as recognition for the acting work of Hiroyuki Sanada (Toranaga), Anna Sawai (Toda Mariko) and Tadanobu Asano (Kashigi Yabushige).
«They made it mainly for Japan,» London continues. «And I was happy because I didn’t want my show to be copied. I did a great job, which got a lot of praise. But the new version is ridiculous, and people I talked to said they didn’t understand what the story was about. It won awards because there were no big shows against it. There was no big competition».
London’s version, like «Shogun» 2024, is based on the novel by James Clavell and tells the story of an English sailor, John Blackthorne, who is shipwrecked in Japan and stays there, learning the traditions and laws of the new country with the help of a Japanese woman, Mariko. Against this backdrop, political confrontations between Lord Toranaga and the Council of Regents are unfolding in the country.
The five-episode 1980 show starred Richard Chamberlain (Blackthorne), Toshiro Mifune (Toranaga), and Yoko Shimada (Mariko). Like the FX version, the series was critically acclaimed and received 14 «Emmy» nominations (including a win for Best Miniseries) and a «Golden Globe» award for Best Television Drama.
In the interview, London also noted that he wanted his «Shogun» to be heard a bit more in conversations about the FX adaptation:
«It was a disappointment. Not much was said about me. Also, there is only one main British actor in the new series [Cosmo Jarvis] and to be honest, he didn’t have the same charisma as Richard Chamberlain».
Source: THR
