Happiest of Thursdays, book nerds! This week Queen Bardugo has blessed us with the cast for her upcoming Shadow and Bone Netflix show! I still have absolutely no clue how this show will work since it’s supposed to combine the original trilogy and Six of Crows into one, but I’m all in on anything Grishaverse related! Just in case you HAVEN’T seen the news, here’s the first cast photo:
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L
Okay, let’s break them down starting with the OT (obviously).
First things first, my babe the Darkling. For whatever reason, he has been named as General Kirigan. I haven’t a clue who the hell Kirigan is. Bardugo has responded that the Darkling wears many faces, but honestly leave Aleksander alone. He already has a name. Anyway.
This is our Darkling, friends, and I am HERE FOR IT. I really didn’t know who they could cast that I’d love, but I can totally see Ben Barnes working. I cannot wait to see him on my screen as his moody, tortured self. And can we talk about the fact that he is THIRTY EIGHT years old?? As someone in her early 20s I am so incredibly excited that a 21 year old wasn’t cast for this ancient character’s role.
Next up is Jessie Mei Li as Alina, the sun to the Darkling’s darkness. No idea whatsoever who this actress is, but I can absolutely see it and I’m stoked to see her bring one of my favorite YA heroines to life! I’m excited to see her side by side with ALEKSANDER MOROZOVA (!) on my TV screen.
Then there was Mal. Again, I don’t know anything about this actor and truthfully he doesn’t look anything like how I’ve always pictured Mal. That being said, I hate Mal with a fiery passion and I’m sure I’ll hate Archie Renaux as Mal just fine.