Ben Barnes recently discussedShadow and Bone’s cancellation, revealing his disappointment with the fantasy show’s fate — and which story he wished had been adapted. Barnes played General Kirigan, or the Darkling, in Netflix’s adaptation ofLeigh Bardugo’s books. AndShadow and Boneseason 2’s endingleft his villain’s future in question.
Of course, there were manystorylines set up for a potentialShadow and Boneseason 3, which made its early end more disappointing. During a discussion withMama’s Geeky(viaTikTok), Barnes spoke about the show’s fate, sharing which story he loved from the books and wanted to see on-screen:
“It was a good show, and I love those stories. And I think, sadly, the best stories that Leigh Bardugo wrote, the Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom stories – I love those books – and I’m sad for the guys who were playing the crow characters, because they would have really gotten to expand on that world and those characters.”
Barnes is referring to Bardugo’sSix of Crowsduology, which sees Kaz Brekker and his gang breaking into the impenetrable Ice Court. That would have been a highlight for theShadow and Bonestar, who added, “I would have liked to watch the Six of Crows story. I love a heist.”
The Crows' Story Would Have Gotten Its Own Series
Barnes' thoughts aboutShadow and Boneare a sad reminder of theSix of Crowsspinoffthat never happened, despite the creators of the original series planning to dig into the duology.Shadow and Boneseason 3 undoubtedly would have expanded on the Crows further. It could’ve even set up the Ice Court Heist, as season 2 was headed in that direction.
But asShadow and Boneshowrunner Eric Heisserer toldEntertainment Weekly,scripts were already written for a Crows spinoff. Based on that, it’s safe to assume their story would’ve been saved for a proper adaptation in a separate series. In that sense, Netflix really missed out on whatcould have been one of its greatest fantasy seriesof all time.
Sadly, Bardugo confirmed onInstagramthat theSix of Crowsspinoff wouldn’t be happening at the same timeShadow and Bonewas canceled. AndI’m inclined to agree with Barnes: I also would have liked to see that story on-screen.
Our Take On Ben Barnes' Shadow And Bone Comments
While all of Bardugo’s Grishaverse books are fantastic — andShadow and Bonedoes an impressive job of adapting them, even with season 2’s changes —I agree with Barnes thatSix of Crowsoffers the best story. The fact that an adaptation of the series had the perfect cast in place and another show to build on makes its fate that much more disappointing.
Of course, this is just another reason that Netflix’sShadow and Boneis one of the most depressing fantasy cancellations of recent years. It’s not just that the main series was left unfinished, though that’s equally frustrating. It’s also that the potential to adaptSix of Crowsgot swept away with it, leaving fans feeling a lot like Barnes.
