After spending decades in development hell, a live-action adaptation of the Neil Gaiman comic book series The Sandman actually made it into production and was released into the world as a Netflix series last August. (Read our review HERE.) Season 2 of the show went into production earlier this year… but then had to be put on pause for a while due to the writers and actors strikes. With those strikes having come to an end, The Sandman season 2 has now resumed production. Netflix shared an image of Tom Sturridge and Mason Alexander Park on set, back in the roles of Dream and Desire, and that can be seen at the bottom of this article. Neil Gaiman also shared a statement, celebrating both the show being able to resume production and the 35th anniversary of the release of the first issue of Sandman.
Described as “a rich, character-driven blend of myth and dark fantasy”, The Sandman has the following synopsis: When the Sandman, aka Dream — the powerful cosmic being who controls all our dreams — is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for over a century, he must journey across different worlds and timelines to fix the chaos his absence has caused.
When Netflix ordered season 2, they said, “The Sandman will return with new episodes based on multiple volumes of the Neil Gaiman graphic novel to explore even more stories of the Endless.“ For some reason, they don’t like to actually call this “season 2”, but that’s the easiest way to refer to it.
Sturridge and Park are joined in the cast by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Donna Preston, Vanesu Samunyai (formerly known as “Kyo Ra”), John Cameron Mitchell, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joely Richardson, Niamh Walsh, Sandra James Young, Razane Jammal, Mark Hamill, and Indya Moore.
Here’s Gaiman’s statement, courtesy of Variety: “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.“
Are you a fan of The Sandman, and are you glad to hear that season 2 is back in production? Let us know by leaving a comment below.