The Sandman Season 2: Everything we know – cast, plot & more
NetflixThe King of Dreams is coming back as Netflix sets the stage for the highly anticipated The Sandman Season 2.
Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic book has seen a torturous journey to the screen. Many have tried to adapt it since the 1990s, veering from “the worst script” the author had ever read to Joseph Gordon-Levitt being attached to star in a Sandman movie. In other words, it was in development hell.
Not anymore – Netflix managed to condense The Sandman’s epic scale and deliver a debut season worthy of the source material’s stature in pop culture.
If you want to know whether to expect Season 2, you’re in luck: this is everything we know so far.
Is The Sandman Season 2 happening?
The Sandman is officially coming back for Season 2.
The news first emerged in a now-deleted tweet DC Comics’ official Twitter page. Netflix has since confirmed the show’s renewal.
“There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them… now it’s time to get back to work. There’s a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell,” Gaiman said.
This news is likely to come as a big relief to fans of the series – with cancellation rumors and conversations circulating in a big way following the release of the first season.
The creative team has already begun developing the second season, with David S. Goyer telling Den of Geek: “In some ways, it’s easier because we’ve educated the audience to the basic ideas. We’ve shown how the dreaming life can affect the waking world.
“With that groundwork done, the show can now build on those themes. They’re more like jazz, where you get to plan variations. And we get to stretch our wings a bit more.”
Is there a The Sandman Season 2 release date?
Unfortunately, there’s no official release date for Sandman Season 2 at the time of writing. However, Netflix has confirmed it is “coming soon” in a May 20, 2024 teaser.
The show is well underway in production. On his Tumblr, a fan asked Gaiman for “a little news” on the next season, to which he gave a lot of news about how development is going. “Scripts are written,” he replied in April 2023. “We are casting the first episode we will be shooting. Sets are being designed.”
Footage and photos recently emerged online of the second season shooting, back during its initial period, with Tom Sturridge back as Morpheus alongside a new character. Fans believe it’s Orpheus, played by Ruairi O’Connor.
However, much like nearly all other blockbuster productions, work on The Sandman Season 2 was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike for much of 2023. Giving fans a fresh update in November 2023, Gaiman confirmed production was back on track now the strike has reached its end.
Season 2’s filming is set to commence on November 27, 2023.
So, if we were to guess, it’s likely we’ll see the season’s release date at some stage in 2024 if not early 2025.
The Sandman Season 2 cast: Who’s in it?
Only a few cast members have been confirmed for The Sandman Season 2. However, we would expect to see the vast majority of The Sandman cast return. This includes:
- Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, aka Dream, aka The Sandman
- Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar
- Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death
- Mason Alexander Park as Desire
- Donna Preston as Despair
- Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven
- Adrian Lester as Destiny
- Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium
- Barry Sloane as The Prodigal
- 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 Able
- Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall
- Ruairi O’Connor as Orpheus
- Garry Cooper as Hades
A new teaser from Netflix showed off a new look at returning members of The Endless. It also featured the first looks at Adrian Lester as Destiny, Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium, and Barry Sloane as The Prodigal.
The new castings round out most of the remaining Endless for The Sandman cast, though we have yet to meet their parents, Night and Time.
Sandman creator Neil Gaiman had previously mentioned how excited he was to see Delirium, in particular, in an interview with Comic Book, saying “I loved Delirium because she wrote her own dialogue. Most characters, you have to start at the page and turn things over in your head and carefully type it out.”
All I would ever have to do for Delirium is come up with a really good straight line, and then I type what she said. There’s a part of my brain that always supplies Delirium lines. So, I mean, she’s, for me, she’s just my favourite and an absolute delight.”
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely we’ll see The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) in Season 2 after he was defeated by The Sandman in the finale after his reign of serial-killer terror in the waking world. Morpheus did say he’d remake him again, but that’ll probably be saved for the third season.
Stephen Fry was an understated highlight of the first season, starring as Gilbert, a cane-wielding friend to Rose Walker. It’s later revealed he’s actually Fiddlers Green and returns to his true form: a luscious, green meadow. So, we likely won’t see him again, either.
There is, of course, always the potential for a Dead Boy Detectives crossover. The series, based on the Vertigo comic of the same name, is set in the same universe as The Sandman and features an appearance from Death of the Endless.
According to a new report, The Sandman is also casting several Norse gods, including Odin, Thor, and Loki. The characters played a role in the comics and will be rather different from their MCU counterparts. For starters, Thor is a jerk in this story.
There are also other gods, demons, and angels, such as The Sandman’s own version of Loki and The Presence, the supreme being at the heart of the universe.
The Sandman Season 2 plot: What’s it about?
No official details on the second season of The Sandman have been revealed as of yet. The debut season of The Sandman tied some things up nicely, with Rose and Jed back together again after years apart and their great-grandmother sacrificing herself as the Vortex to save the world. That said, because Rose gave away her heart, she’s left unable to love in the comics, so we may see that unfold next time.
Trouble is brewing elsewhere, though. Desire promised to “draw blood” in their next efforts against Morpheus, so expect another cruel scheme from them and Despair. The season also ended with Lucifer promising to do “something that will make God absolutely livid and bring Morpheus to his knees.”
There’s also the matter of whether Morpheus will come for Lyta’s child.
Is there a trailer for The Sandman Season 2?
Sadly, there’s no trailer for Sandman Season 2 at the time of writing. However, we’ll update this space upon further announcements. For now, check out the trailer for the first season below:
The Sandman Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix now. If you’re hungry for more upcoming TV, be sure to check out all of our continuing TV coverage, including The Boys Season 4, Stranger Things Season 5, and House of the Dragon Season 2.