I apologize for the person I become when I see Nikolai and Wylan in Shadow and Bone for the first time.
Oh, hello. It has been a few months since I’ve gotten to flail about Shadow and Bone, and I’m delighted to get back at it with this very important news.
First, Patrick Gibson will play Nikolai Lantsov, aka the love of my life and one of the biggest characters in both the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the King of Scars duology.
Claire Newman-William / Netflix
If you haven’t read the books, I don’t want to give too much away, but just know Nikolai is the son of Alexander III, the King of Ravka, and he’s smart, a little cocky, and mysterious. Before Shadow and Bone, Patrick previously appeared on The Portable Door and The OA.
You can follow Patrick on Instagram here.
Jack Wolfe has been cast as Wylan Hendricks, a newcomer who crosses paths with the Crows on one of their heists in the Six of Crows duology.
Luis Zeno Kuhn / Netflix
Again, want to keep this pretty spoiler-free for non-book readers, but book readers will notice that Wylan’s last name is different (for now). Before playing Wylan, Jack previously appeared on The Magic Flute and The Witcher.
You can follow Jack on Instagram here.
Anna Leong Brophy will take on the role of Tamar Kir-Bataar, who is a Heartrender and the twin sister of Tolya (more on him below). She appears in both the Shadow and Bone triology and the King of Scars books.
YellowBelly Photo / Netflix
In the books, Tamar is a great fighter who will do anything to help those she is loyal to, namely Alina and Nikolai. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for Tamar’s romance with a fellow Grisha, which is big in the books. Anna previously appeared in Back and Traces.
You can follow Anna on Instagram here.
And finally, Lewis Tan will play Tolya Yul-Bataar, Tamar’s twin brother who is also a Grisha. Like Tamar, he also appears in the Shadow and Bone trilogy and King of Scars duology.
Raul Romo / Netflix
In the books, Tolya is a fiercely loyal and courageous fighter who works alongside Alina and Nikolai. Before Shadow and Bone, Lewis can be seen in Mortal Kombat and Wu Assassins.
You can follow Lewis on Instagram here.
Alongside the four new cast members, Shadow and Bone also promoted Danielle Galligan, Calahan Skogman, and Daisy Head — who play Nina, Matthias, and Genya, respectively — to series regulars.
Netflix
I also hope we’ve got Milo the goat coming back as a series regular.
Here’s the entire new and returning cast together in what I’d like to call an adorable back-to-school photo that I would also like to frame and put on my desk.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 will continue to follow Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels and will likely follow the plot of both Siege and Storm and Six of Crows.
Siege and Storm picks up after Alina and Mal escape The Darkling inside The Fold, and now they are trying to keep her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret while The Darkling emerges from The Fold and is hellbent on finding Alina.
Meanwhile, since Season 1 acted as a prequel for our favorite Six of Crows characters — Kaz, Inej, Nina, Jesper, and Matthias — I’m assuming we’ll finally start to see some of the plot from this book unfold in Season 2.
Netflix
Six of Crows follows Kaz, Inej, and Jesper in Ketterdam as they run the Crow Club and are offered a once-in-a-lifetime heist that could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. Of course, they might need some help from Nina and Matthias, who is imprisoned in Hellgate, and newcomer Wylan in order to finish the job.
Basically, I simply cannot wait to see these new cast members bring to life some of the biggest (and best) book characters from the Grishaverse.
You can stream Shadow and Bone Season 1 right now on Netflix.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/noradominick/shadow-and-bone-nikolai-wylan-casting
