For decades, there were numerous attempts to get a film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s comic book series The Sandman off the ground (one of which Michael Jackson wanted in on), but in the end, it was in the streaming realm where this property had a live-action future. The Sandman TV series, which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription, premiered on August 5 to critical acclaim, but until today, it was unclear if there would be a second season. Well, following an accidental leak on social media, it appears that Netflix has indeed renewed The Sandman for Season 2.
Mere hours ago, the official DC Twitter account posted and deleted a tweet saying that The Sandman “will return with new episodes based on multiple volumes of the Neil Gaiman graphic novels to explore even more stories of the Endless.” Following the tweet’s quick removal and screenshots of it being shared on Twitter, Deadline has learned that Netflix greenlit The Sandman for a second season. With Season 1 being comprised of 11 episodes (including a bonus one released two weeks after the premiere), it’s unclear if Season 2 will have that same amount, or if Netflix will deliver more or slightly less episodes.
Neil Gaiman confirmed that The Sandman Season 2 is on the way with the following statement (via Variety):
Millions upon millions of people have welcomed and watched and loved The Sandman on Netflix, from established Sandman fans to people who were simply curious, and then became obsessed with the Lord of Dreams, his family and their goings-on. It gives me unbelievable pleasure to say that, working with Netflix and Warner Bros., Allan Heinberg, David Goyer and I will be bringing even more of ‘The Sandman’ stories to life. There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them (not to mention more members of the Endless Family to meet). Nobody is going to be happier about this than the Sandman cast and crew: they are the biggest Sandman fans there are. And now it’s time to get back to work. There’s a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell…
Developed by Neil Gaiman David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg, for the most part, Netflix’s The Sandman is a faithful (and great) adaptation of the source material. Tom Sturridge stars as Lord Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream, ruler of The Dreaming and one of the seven Endless, the physical manifestations of abstract concepts and forces. Morpheus is inadvertently captured during an occult ritual in 1916 and spends the next 106 years being held captive. Upon breaking free, Morpheus must track down his missing tools, restore the The Dreaming and deal with new challenges that affect both his realm and Earth itself. Sturridge is the second actor to play Morpheus, with James McAvoy voicing the character in Audible’s adaptation of The Sandman.
Other major players in The Sandman Season 1 include Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, David Thewlis as John Dee, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Kyo Ra as Rose Walker and Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall, among many others. While some of those individuals won’t be back for Season 2 for reasons obvious to those who watched Season 1, count on others coming back for the next chapter of Morpheus’ mesmerizing adventures. Though Neil Gaiman teased a little bit about what to expect from The Sandman Season 2, if you’re really keen to learn where this saga is going, you can always read the original comics in the meantime.
It’s good to know that another batch of The Sandman episodes is forthcoming, but it’ll likely be a while until we learn when specifically they’ll arrive. Obviously we’ll let you know when a premiere date is announced, but until then, familiarize yourself with the Netflix TV shows left to premiere in 2022.
