The director of the original version of TV show Shōgun has expressed his confusion at the new show’s popularity, saying it isn’t designed to appeal to American audiences.
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Jerry London directed all five episodes of 1980 miniseries Shōgun, based on the novel by James Clavell. Disney+’s new show is an adaptation of the same book, but shifted focus to take a broader view than its predecessor.
“It’s completely different from the one I did,” London told The Hollywood Reporter. “Mine was based on the love story of Shōgun between Blackthorne and Mariko, and this new one is based on Japanese history, and it’s more about Toranaga, who was the Shōgun”.
He continued by saying he didn’t feel the show is made for US viewers. “It’s very technical and very difficult for an American audience to get their grips into it” he explained. “I’ve talked to many people that have watched it, and they said, ‘I had to turn it off because I don’t understand it.’ So, the filmmakers of the new one really didn’t care about the American audience”.
He continued: “I was happy about it because I didn’t want my show to be copied. I think I did such a great job, and it won so many accolades, that I didn’t want them to copy it, which they didn’t do”. The 1980 miniseries won two Emmys and three Golden Globes. The new show eclipsed that total, winning a record 18 Emmys and four Golden Globes.
London has dismissed this success, however, saying: “I watched the whole thing. It’s very difficult to stick with. It won all the (Emmy) awards because there were no big shows against it. There was not too much competition”.
Despite this criticism, the 2024 series remains critically adored, with NME ranking it number two in the 20 Best TV Shows Of 2024, and describing it as “a Game Of Thrones successor”.
London is not the only Hollywood name to reject the 2024 version of Shōgun, with director Quentin Tarantino saying he refuses to watch the show or any other remakes.
The post Original ‘Shōgun’ 1980 series director calls new show “not entertaining for American audiences” appeared first on NME.
