Everything We Know About The Sandman Season 2 And The Return Of Netflix's Fantasy Series
What dreams may come...
Season 1 of Netflix's "The Sandman" wasn't quite the great Neil Gaiman adaptation some of the storyteller's fans have been waiting for. It nevertheless set the series (which is far from strictly a fantasy drama) on the path to becoming the next best thing to reading Gaiman's original comics. That it was able to stay faithful to the spirit of its source material while including some welcome modifications — some of which, admittedly, were more superficial than others in the way they modernize the "Sandman" universe — is all the more reason to remain hopeful about the show's future.
Of course, it also helps that Gaiman's earlier "Sandman" comic books (which formed the basis of season 1) are generally agreed to be the weakest of the lot, compared to what comes after. With the best of the saga of Morpheus still on the horizon, fans have been eagerly awaiting updates of any variety on the show's future. Fortunately, Netflix has confirmed its intention to continue adapting Gaiman's revered graphic novels, with the multi-hyphenate himself teasing in an official statement, "There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them (not to mention more members of the Endless Family to meet)."
With all that out of the way, here's everything we know about "The Sandman" season 2 so far.
When we can expect to see The Sandman season 2
As of April 2023, Neil Gaiman had confirmed the scripts for "The Sandman" season 2 were written and the sets were in the process of being designed, with casting underway for the first episode. The show itself ranks among Netflix's costliest and most effects-heavy ongoing series, with season 1 carrying a reported price tag of $15 million per episode. Because of that, each new season requires a good deal of time to complete in terms of both production and especially post-production (which can span upwards of 20 weeks or more for a project of this magnitude).
Keeping all that in mind, we can probably assume "The Sandman" won't be returning for its second season any earlier than late 2024. At the same time, it's not impossible Netflix will unveil another "bonus" episode between now and then, similar to the two-parter that dropped two weeks after season 1 premiered. That episode adapted the short stories "Dream of a Thousand Cats" and "Calliope" from Gaiman's "Dream Country" collection, but there are still two other tales from that volume that have yet to reach the screen. That includes "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a storyline Gaiman has admitted he's been itching to adapt.
What The Sandman season 2 could be about
"The Sandman" season 1 laid the groundwork for what's immediately to come in its final scene, where we see Lucifer scheming against Morpheus after losing their previous battle of wits. This will pave the way for an adaptation of "Season of Mists," an arc in which Lucifer grants Dream the key to Hell upon abandoning the realm, knowing it will place a big ol' red target on the Lord of Dreams' back as other demons and gods conspire to seize the kingdom for themselves.
Showrunner Allan Heinberg has voiced his excitement about bringing "Season of Mists" to the screen in season 2, observing this is "where Dream's trouble really begins." Moreover, the story will force Morpheus to yet again reckon with the sins of his past (get used to it; dude's got a lot of skeletons in his closet), this time concerning his former lover Nada. As you may recall, we briefly met her in season 1 as a prisoner in Hell, where Dream cruelly condemned her long ago.
Much like season 1 adapted Gaiman's first two "Sandman" collections, it appears season 2 will further adapt "A Game of You." This arc follows the newly-divorced Barbie, whom we met in season 1, as she discovers her personal dream world is being attacked by a malicious entity known as the Cuckoo.
"A Game of You" also features Barbie's friend Wanda Mann, a transgender woman whom Gaiman assured Logo "will be a huge, huge part" of season 2. While the character set a new benchmark for trans representation in comics when Gaiman created her in the early 1990s, he's promised to bring in trans writers to adapt her story so as to imbue her with greater authenticity (in addition to casting a trans actor, obviously).
The creative team behind The Sandman season 2
Allan Heinberg, Neil Gaiman, and David S. Goyer will again serve as executive producers on "The Sandman" season 2, with Heinberg, in particular, wearing multiple hats as a writer, producer, and showrunner. Numerous cast members from season 1 will also be returning, including Tom Sturridge as Morpheus/Dream, Gwendolyn Christie as Lucifer, and many more. Season 1 guest stars Deborah Oyelade (Nada) and Lily Travers (Barbie) will further enjoy a significant upgrade in screen time thanks to the key roles their characters are expected to play in this season's plot machinations.
If anything, the "Sandman" season 2 ensemble is shaping up to be even more loaded with top-tier talent than season 1's was (filling everything from brief guest stints to major recurring roles). "We've got Norse gods to cast and Egyptian gods to cast," Heinberg previously shared. "We've got new demons and we've got some returning demons, so it's a party. It's a very ambitious season." Expect a huge casting announcement with character descriptions in the future (if not multiple ones), similar to what we got for season 1.
We will update this article as more information is made available, so be sure and check back here down the line!