The Sandman season 2: Release date speculation, cast and latest news

This early end for The Sandman is said to have been decided back in 2022 for creative reasons, rather than being in response to sexual misconduct allegations against creator Neil Gaiman.

The author has strongly denied the accusations that have been made. In a post to his blog, he wrote that he has "never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone" and does not accept any claims of "abuse".

Read on for an update on everything we know about The Sandman season 2 on Netflix.

The Sandman season 2 release date speculation

The Sandman season 2 is due to be released on Netflix at some point in 2025, but the streaming platform is yet to announce a specific premiere date.

The show was renewed for a second chapter in November 2022, months after the first episodes dropped, with a statement by Netflix calling it "a continuation of The Sandman world" that also included short-lived spin-off Dead Boy Detectives.

On declining to use the term "season 2", Netflix executive Peter Friedlander told Variety: "There are decisions that haven’t been made, but we are considering batching approaches. Everything's on the table when it comes to Sandman."

Now, the endeavour seems to be winding down, with the streamer announcing in January 2025 that The Sandman season 2 would serve as an "epic conclusion" to the fantasy drama.

Showrunner Allan Heinberg explained: "The Sandman series has always been focused exclusively on Dream’s story, and back in 2022, when we looked at the remaining Dream material from the comics, we knew we only had enough story for one more season.

"We are extremely grateful to Netflix for bringing the team all back together and giving us the time and resources to make a faithful adaptation in a way that we hope will surprise and delight the comics' loyal readers as well as fans of our show."

The statement suggests that Netflix's The Sandman was only ever intended for two seasons, a significant abbreviation of the original comic book's 75 issues (collected in 10 volumes), as opposed to being a response to allegations against author Neil Gaiman.

The novelist has denied any non-consensual or illegal conduct.

The Sandman season 2 cast: New and returning

Tom Sturridge will reprise his role of Dream aka Morpheus in The Sandman season 2, alongside a mix of new and returning cast members.

The Sandman comic books form a sprawling saga which sees a revolving door of characters pass in and out, but we're expecting several key players from season 1 to make an appearance in the final episodes.

A behind-the-scenes video released in September 2024 appeared to confirm roles for Kirby Howell-Baptiste's Death, Mason Alexander Park's Desire and Donna Preston's Despair in season 2.

It followed an announcement that Esmé Creed-Miles (The Doll Factory), Adrian Lester (Renegade Nell) and Barry Sloane (Passenger) had joined the cast as Delirium, Destiny and The Prodigal respectively, members of Dream's god-like family.

Here's a reminder of The Sandman cast, ahead of the release of season 2.

• Tom Sturridge as Dream/Morpheus
• Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian
• Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne
• Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven
• Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine
• Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar
• Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death
• Mason Alexander Park as Desire
• Donna Preston as Despair
• Kyo Ra as Rose Walker
• Eddie Karanja as Jed Walker
• John Cameron Mitchell as Hal Carter
• Stephen Fry as Gilbert
• Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall
• Sandra James Young as Unity Kinkaid
• Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain
• Asim Chaudhry as Abel
• Lily Travers as Barbie
• Richard Fleeshman as Ken
• David Thewlis as Doctor Destiny/John Burgess/Johnny Dee
• Mark Hamill as the voice of Mervyn Pumpkinhead
• Lenny Henry as the voice of Martin Tenbones
• Roger Allam as the voice of Lord Azazel
• Esmé Creed-Miles will play Delirium
• Adrian Lester will play Destiny
• Barry Sloane will play The Prodigal

Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman addressed her future in The Sandman, telling RadioTimes.com that Lady Johanna Constantine's fleeting appearance in season 1 was a "seed" for bigger things to come.

On his character's ambiguous fate, Boyd Holbrook said: "I had a great experience on this. And I think we'd all love to continue The Sandman. It's the universe that just keeps going on and on...

"I believe that The Corinthian is reincarnated at a certain point in time in the comic, so we'll see."

What could happen in The Sandman season 2 plot?

The Sandman season 1 ending suggested that the next edition of the show would primarily focus on the fourth and fifth volumes of the graphic novel, titled Season of Mists and A Game of You respectively.

The first of these sees Dream return to Hell, where Lucifer Morningstar is waiting for him, unleashing chaos by abdicating her throne and starting a new life on Earth – freeing her demons in the process.

The second focuses on a supporting character from season 1, Barbie (as played by Lily Travers), who makes a long-overdue return to her fantasy world in the Dreaming following an intervention from mythical steed Martin Tenbones.

Now that we know the fantasy drama is ending with season 2, it's possible that elements from later story arcs could also be woven into the forthcoming episodes to build naturally towards a satisfying conclusion.

Is there a trailer for The Sandman season 2?

Although there isn't a trailer for The Sandman season 2 just yet, we did get a look behind-the-scenes on the upcoming episodes last year, with a particular insight into adapting a pivotal scene from the comic books.

Watch here:

The Sandman is available to stream on Netflix.

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