Officially renewed for a second season in November 2022, the Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s best-selling DC comic book series, The Sandman, has got the fans hooked by its delightful fantasia.
Modeled around the titular character, who is also called Dream, reprised by Tom Sturridge, the series is developed by Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer for Netflix. Alongside Sturridge, the series also features Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Boyd Holbrook, and Asim Chaudhary. The Sandman has become one of the most highly anticipated Netflix original shows.
The official synopsis of the series, according to Netflix, reads: “After years of imprisonment, Morpheus — the King of Dreams — embarks on a journey across worlds to find what was stolen from him and restore his power.”
With that said, The Sandman season 2 is unfortunately not releasing on Netflix in 2023, given the ongoing WGA strike. Not only that, but we speculate that the release date will be pushed further, even more owing to the emerging SAG-AFTRA strike, which has reportedly stopped the filming process of The Sandman season 2.
Here’s what we know about it.
What is the production status of The Sandman season 2?
Owing to the emerging SAG-AFTRA strike, one of the shows that has immediately stopped its production is, unfortunately, The Sandman season 2, which began filming only last month. Neil Gaiman confirmed the cessation of the filming by announcing on BlueSky (one of Twiiter’s clones), saying:
“SAG-AFTRA strike is on. Sandman has stopped shooting completely, along with everything else that was squeaking by without writers. I hope that the AMPTP sees reason and gets back to the table with the actors and the writers. I have no reason at this point to think they will see reason.”
Since the past month, production on The Sandman was captured taking place at several places in the United Kingdom. Pose star Indya Moore was spotted filming for The Sandman season 2 for a role yet not unraveled. In the released photos, Moore was captured wearing a green outfit while filming with star Tom Sturridge’s Lord Morpheus/Dream in a gloomy graveyard.
To make matters worse, reports suggest that the second season, if it resumes to begin production, will be shorter than the first one. Here’s what we know so far about it.
Will The Sandman season 2 be shorter than the first?
According to Redanian Intelligence, the second season of The Sandman will possibly have only eight episodes. It seems quite plausible, considering that the first season produced 12 episodes in total, releasing 10 in one go, followed by clubbing the remaining two into one and releasing two weeks afterward. However, it has not been confirmed as of yet. Keep checking this space for confirmation of the same.
Be that as it may, the original filming schedule of The Sandman season 2 is divided into two blocks; the first one will be shot from June to October 2023, followed by the second one shot from January to April 2024. Consequently, people assumed that Netflix might release these episodes in two parts. Moreover, the streaming giant has been lately leaning towards such a format with Stranger Things, The Witcher, Ozark, Money Heist, and more.
When will The Sandman Season 2 arrive on Netflix?
At the time of writing this article, Netflix has not revealed the exact release date of the show. However, we don’t speculate it to arrive on the streaming giant in 2023 or 2024, for that matter, owing to the looming WGA and SAG strikes.
But if it makes you feel any better, then the casting for the second season is already complete. So, once the deals are negotiated, we can expect the creators to directly hop in on the filming for the second season without taking much time for the cast.
Who are the expected cast members of The Sandman Season 2?
We expect the following members to reprise their roles in the second season of this fantasy horror:
- Tom Sturridge as Morpheus
- Lucienne as Vivienne Acheampong
- Lucifer Morningstar as Gwendoline Christie
- Desire as Mason Alexander Park
- Despair as Donna Preston.
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death
- Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine
- Vanesu Samunyai as Rose Walker
- Eddie Karanja as Jed Walker
- Patton Oswalt as Matthew, the Raven
- Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain
- Asim Chaudhry as Abel
- Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall
Unfortunately, the malicious Corinthian, played by Boyd Holbrook, will not reprise the role in the second season as he was vanquished by Morpheus. In conversation with Digital Spy, Holbrook shed some light on his character, saying:
“Is he ever gone? Is anything ever gone? He’s reincarnated later on [in the comics] as a different entity, as a good guy. So I think that’s something really fun to play with, to already know him as this dark entity, and to see what a lighter entity of The Corinthian would look like.”
What can we expect to happen in The Sandman season 2?
In Season 1 Episode 4, Morpheus is escorted to Lucifer when he meets his old love, Nada, who is captured in Hell. Although the story seems trivial to the whole narrative, this storyline was not explicated in detail in season one. We expect this scene to be elaborated on in season two.
Additionally, the second season will presumably underscore the plot tangent of Season of Mists, one of the most popular storylines that begin with an Endless family meeting. In the story, every family member is seen together except for Destruction. In season one, we are only introduced to Dream (Tom Sturridge), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Desire (Mason Alexander Park), and Despair (Donna Preston).
The Sandman season one covered two volumes of the comic. Expectantly following the tradition of its predecessor, the second season will underscore the plot structure of A Game of You. In this volume, the story of Barbie is unraveled, who is seen living in Hal’s residence in season one. Additionally, she is seen living in her own fantasy realm, known by the name of The Land.
If you have seen season one, then you must have wondered why the last episode of the series is so unconnected from the rest of the episodes. Responding to a similar question on Tumblr, Neil Gaiman said, “Think of Episode 11 as the bridge into Season 2.”
That being said, on a scale of 1-10, how excited are you to stream the second season of The Sandman on Netflix? Don’t forget to stay tuned to Web News Observer for more updates on The Sandman season 2!