This week brought a lot of excitement for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows book series. It was announced a few months ago that Netflix had picked it up for an eight-episode series to be aired on the streaming site, produced by Eric Heisserer and directed by Lee Toland Krieger. On Tuesday, October 2nd, we reported that the cast list was finally released! So let’s take a closer look:
Ben Barnes as The Darkling
Barnes, who has previously appeared on Westworld and The Picture of Dorian Grey, among others, plays The Darkling, a military elite who is determined to liberate his people from the opposing force, the Shadow Fold.
Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker
Carter, known for his roles in Wonder Woman and Pennyworth, will play Kaz Brekker, the leader of the Dregs one of the most prominent gangs in the city of Ketterdam. Like any mafia leader, he is known for getting his hands dirty, willing to do any task no matter the violence or danger involved.
Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov
image via imdb.com
Li plays Alina Starkov, the main character of the Shadow and Bone novels, is an orphan who volunteers to serve in the military and ultimately becomes one of the most powerful Grisha who ever lived.
Archie Renaux as Maylen Oretsev
Renaux plays Maylen Oretsev, who in the novels is known as Mal, is Alina’s childhood best friend, a former soldier for the First Army, and a gifted tracker, able to find anything in a matter of seconds.
Amita Suman as Inej Ghafa
Suman, who ha previously appeared in The Outpost and Doctor Who, plays Inej who is a spy for the Dregs of which Brekker is the leader.
Kit Young as Jesper Fahey
Young plays Jesper Fahey, a sharpshooter and another member of the Dregs.
According to an article in Variety, other reccurring actors will be Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya Nazyalensky, Danielle Galligan as Nina Zenik, Daisy Head as Genya Safin and Simon Sears as Ivan.
So far, it seems that reactions to the cast list have been positive, especially regarding Ben Barnes playing the Darkling.