FX Orders Japanese Period Drama Shōgun Based on 1975 Novel

FX has ordered a new limited series, Shogun, marking its largest international-scale production to date. The 10-episode series is a period drama based on the 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell; it was announced Friday at a TCA summer press event by John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions.

Shogun, set in feudal Japan, “charts the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai,” per a press release. Its cast of characters includes: “John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance.”

Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Michael De Luca and Michaela Clavell serve as executive producers for the show alongside Tim Van Patten, who will also direct several episodes. Eugene Kelly and Ronan Bennett will write the series, which is set to be shot in the U.K. and Japan. The lead roles for the show have not yet been cast.

“The story of Shogun has captivated audiences since James Clavell first released his epic novel more than 40 years ago,” said Landgraf in a statement. “The themes of an outsider encountering a new culture are as relevant today as then.”

Clavell’s novel was an international best-seller, moving more than 30 million copies worldwide. An original Shogun miniseries debuted in 1980, airing over five nights that September on NBC. It also picked up Emmys, Golden Globes and a Peabody Award.