It was revealed on June 11th that a sequel to the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "VIVANT" (Sundays at 9pm), starring Masato Sakai and broadcast in July 2023, will be broadcast in the same time slot in 2026 (date to be determined). On the same day, Sakai made a live appearance on the station's morning information program "THE TIME," (Monday to Friday at 5:20am) and announced the production of the sequel.
The sequel will be a continuation of the story, starting immediately after the last scene of the first film, and there will be no changes to the setting of the main character, Nogi Yusuke, played by Sakai. Other cast members besides Sakai will be announced in the future. Fukuzawa Katsuo will be in charge of the original story, direction, and production, once again teaming up with Sakai in their powerful collaboration. Iida Kazutaka will serve as producer. The first film was shot on a grand scale in Mongolia, which drew much attention, and the sequel will also be shot on location overseas, traveling around the world.
The previous series, "VIVANT," captivated viewers with its mysterious developments, unpredictable storyline, performances by a star-studded cast, and overwhelming visual beauty and scale, with the average household viewership rating for the final episode reaching 19.6% (according to Video Research, Kanto region). The total number of viewers on television, including time-shifted versions of all 10 episodes, was an astounding 60 million people (according to Video Research, 32 regions nationwide, July to September 2023), and it won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix in the serial drama category at the "Tokyo Drama Awards 2024," sparking a social phenomenon.
