If you’ve been missing the critically acclaimed FX/Hulu series Shōgun, one of Hiroyuki Sanada’s better movies is now streaming on Netflix. Sanada masterfully portrayed Lord Yoshii Toranaga in the celebrated series, who is based on the real-life Japanese shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. As far as literary source material goes, Shōgun has completed its story based on James Clavell’s classic novel alone. Still, a second season of Shōgun has surprisingly been annoucned as being in development.

Sanada is confirmed to star in Shōgun season 2 if it happens as planned. Before appearing onscreen together in Shōgun as Lord Toranaga and his disloyal daimyo Yabushige, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano previously worked together on the 2021 film adaptation of Mortal Kombat. Both Sanada and Asano will reprise their roles as Scorpion and Lord Raiden in Mortal Kombat 2, which does not currently have an established release date but could arrive sometime in 2025.

Shogun’s Hiroyuki Sanada Stars In Life (& It’s Now Streaming On Netflix)

 

Sanada has starred in many classic films and television series before his outstanding performance in Shōgun, which has a great shot of earning him his first Emmy nomination. He starred in 2013’s The Wolverine and 47 Ronin as well as Mortal Kombat, Westworld, Bullet Train, and John Wick: Chapter 4 more recently. He is also featured in the 2017 space sci-fi horror Life as Sho Murakami along with Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

If that cast alone isn’t enough to pique viewers’ interest, the film earned a positive Rotten Tomatoes score of 68% and also features an original screenplay by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, the minds behind Deadpool and Zombieland. Life follows a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station who discover a remarkable yet fictional life form that they discover ended life on Mars and is heading to Earth next.

Hiroyuki Sanada Plays A Key Role In 2017’s Life

Sanada is a standout in the space horror film

Life features an interesting premise and four outstanding actors, which alone makes it an enticing choice for a space sci-fi horror. It’s in the same vein as other classic films of the subgenre such as Alien while featuring a modern visual approach as seen in space films such as Gravity. Without giving anything away, Sanada plays a crucial part in Life that acts as one of the most impactful aspects of the film. Fans of Shōgun who have recently discovered Sanada will enjoy seeing the accomplished yet underrated actor in a more modern and accessible role, which is exactly what Life has to offer.