Television and film adaptations of popular book series don t just give the works they re based on a new life. They also offer those working on it a chance to build on the characters and themes within, ideally for the better. In the case of Netflix s
Shadow and Bone, the upcoming adaptation of author Leigh Bardugo s bestselling Grishaverse books, this meant creating a more inclusive world that reflects one a modern audience is more used to, and that meant casting more diversely. There s a kind of weird idea that an inclusive or diverse cast is somehow artificial or contrived, Bardugo, who is also an executive producer on the series, told SYFY WIRE and other members of the press ahead of the series April 23 premiere. And I find that very weird because our world does not look straight and white, and there s no reason that a fantasy world should look straight and white.