Production on the second season of Sandman is back on, Netflix has announced.
To coincide with the news, Sandman creator Neil Gaiman published a letter to fans celebrating the influential graphic novel’s 35th anniversary, teasing “good things are coming.”
A Letter from Neil Gaiman:
We never know where our dreams will take us. 35 years ago today, the first issue of The Sandman was released and set many people and characters on paths that seemed, even at the time, so unlikely as to be impossible. Back then most comics featured superheroes. Sandman wasn’t that. It wasn’t like anything else, but magically (the magic consisting of hard work, youthful overconfidence, and some key people who believed in the vision) we were given the opportunity to tell the story I had in my head and bring Morpheus and the rest of the Endless to life.
A little over 36 years ago, in October 1987, the worst storm in at least 500 years left my house without power and my family trapped in our little village by fallen trees, and I spent my time writing an outline for the first eight issues of Sandman.
Thirteen months later, in November 1988, the first issue of Sandman hit the comics shops.
Like those who walk a path in Destiny’s garden, I look back and see one clear path stretching behind me. At times on this journey the way forward seemed impossible, and I don’t think I could have conceived of the impact that these characters would have on individuals or on the world. When I look at the path ahead, though, I don’t see darkness. I see how the world of The Sandman continues to grow and evolve and take new forms.
This week we officially restart production on the next sequence of stories of The Sandman for Netflix. Genius show runner Allan Heinberg and the countless people in front of and behind the camera are building something endlessly special, and bringing these stories to life in a way that would once have been unimaginable.
A journey is beginning that will take us from Destiny’s garden to Hell, from the Heart of the Dreaming to Ancient Greece and revolutionary France, and from there to places even I cannot quite imagine on the screen. I will be patient. Good things are coming.
Meanwhile, Netflix shared a behind-the-scenes photo from the set featuring Tom Sturridge (who plays Dream) and Mason Alexander Park (who plays Desire). The Sandman is currently filming in London. There’s no release window yet.
The Sandman premiered on August 5, 2022, and was praised for its adaptation of the beloved Neil Gaiman comic book series following Dream, a god-like personification that rules over people's dreams in a realm called the Dreaming.
The first season consists of 10 episodes, based on stories directly from the comics. A special, two-part 11th episode was released two weeks after the first season premiered.
In our review, IGN awarded The Sandman a 9, calling it an adaptation that fans "could only conjure up in their deepest of sleeps."
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
