What better way to celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Sandman than with news that the second season of the Netflix adaptation is filming?
Netflix has announced that the series, based on the DC comics by Neil Gaiman (who serves as an executive producer), is in production on new episodes in London (it had paused due to the writers and actors’ strikes). And it just so happens to be the 35th anniversary of the original comic series! Plus, the streaming service released a behind-the-scenes photo of Tom Sturridge (Dream) and Mason Alexander Park (Desire), which you can check out above.
With the news comes a letter from 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.”
Season 1 introduces the world that waits for all when they sleep, a place called the Dreaming, where The Sandman, Master of Dreams (Sturridge), gives shape to everyone’s 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 changes both the dreaming and waking worlds forever. To restore order, Dream must journey across different worlds and timelines to mend the mistakes he’s made during his vast existence, revisiting old friends and foes, and meeting new entities — both cosmic and human — along the way. Season 1 premiered on Netflix on August 5; an animated and live-action two-part bonus episode followed with a bonus drop on August 19.
In addition to Sturridge and Park, Season 1 also stars Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Donna Preston, Vanesu Samunyai, John Cameron Mitchell, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joely Richardson, Niamh Walsh, Sandra James-Young, and Razane Jammal.
Writers and executive producers are Gaiman, Heinberg, and David S. Goyer, who developed the series. The comic is written by Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television.
The Sandman, Season 2, TBA, Netflix
