Netflix Geeked Week brings us long-awaited news of the return of The Sandman. The Sandman brings author Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel to the screen for the first time, introducing another world that waits for all of us when we close our eyes and sleep — a place called the Dreaming, where The Sandman, Master of Dreams, gives shape to all of our deepest fears and fantasies. But when Dream is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for a century, his absence sets off a series of events that will change both the dreaming and waking worlds forever. If you’re feeling hyped, you’re going to love the below behind-the-scenes video that Netflix released tonight.
As Sandman star Tom Sturridge and showrunner Allan Heinberg say, “We have entirely new casts, entirely new worlds and historical periods that we’re exploring, and there are a lot of new characters in season two […] Fans of the book will not be disappointed. I think Sandman is made by fans of Sandman, and it’s a sight to behold. It is even more beautiful than it was in season one, thrillingly, we offer so many different things and ideas and images and stories.”
Developed by Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg, The Sandman amassed the kind of cast that dreams are made of. Led by Tom Sturridge as lead character Morpheus, the king of dreams and ruler of the Dreaming, The Sandman also stars Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Charles Dance as Sir Roderick Burgess; Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, David Thewlis as Dr. John Dee, and Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim Chaudhry as Cain and Abel, with Kirby Howell-Baptiste starring as Death alongside Mason Alexander Park as Desire and Donna Preston as Despair, members of the Endless and Dream’s siblings.
New cast members for Season 2 include Ruairi O’Connor (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) as Orpheus, the son of Dream, Freddie Fox (Slow Horses) as Loki, Clive Russel (Game of Thrones) as Odin, Laurence O’Fuarain (The Witcher: Blood Origin) as Thor, Ann Skelly (Red Rock) as Nuala, and Steve Coogan (The Trip) as Barnabas, as well as Adrian Lester (The Day After Tomorrow) as Destiny, Esmé Creed-Miles (Hanna) as Delirium and Barry Sloane (The Bay) as the Prodigal.
After waiting years for an adaptation of The Sandman, Season 1 was met with critical acclaim when it landed on Netflix back in 2022. The first series now stands at a “Certified Fresh” 88% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with critics declaring; “While it may hold few surprises for fans of the source material, The Sandman’s first season satisfyingly adapts an allegedly unfilmable classic.”
How Will Neil Gaiman’s Involvement Affect The Sandman?
While Season 2 of The Sandman is now in the bag, many fans have been left wondering, and worrying, what could happen to the show amid the recent allegations that have been leveled at creator, writer, and producer Neil Gaiman. This year, five women have come forward to accuse the author of sexual assault and abuse, allegations which Gaiman has since denied.
These serious allegations have now begun to affect the projects that Gaiman is involved in. A movie adaptation of Gaiman’s young adult novel The Graveyard Book, which was in development at Disney, has now been canceled, as has the Netflix series and The Sandman spinoff, Dead Boy Detectives. The final season of the hit Prime Video series Good Omens starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant has also been put on hold, with Gaiman, who is a showrunner, writer, and executive producer on the series, having now offered to step down from his roles so that production on Good Omens Season 3 can resume.
The Sandman
Season 1 is available to stream on
Netflix
.
