The Sandman Season 2 Already Canceled?
Is the dream already over?
Although The Sandman only debuted a few weeks ago, fans of the series are already clamoring for news about season 2. While it may be a little soon for the announcement Neil Gaiman, whose comic books the Netflix show is based on, is not getting his hopes up. In a post on social media, the writer explained that the fantasy drama is really expensive to make and that the current season needs to perform really well to be considered for renewal. So, while the project has been the top show in the world for the last two weeks, that may still not be enough.
The 61-year-old author also asked his followers to encourage all their friends to watch the entire first season of The Sandman. Because a season 2 renewal also depends on how many viewers the series managed to retain till its season finale. So far the numbers have been rather steady, with the show earning 69.48 million viewing hours within the first three days of its debut. Those figures went on to double in the second week of its premiere, according to ComicBook.
The Sandman briefly slipped from the top spot, thanks to a new season of Never Have I Ever and the arrival of the limited series Echoes, but the release of a bonus episode pushed it back to number one. It’s not surprising since the series is extremely faithful to the unique visuals and dark themes of Gaiman’s comic books which have a devoted fan base. At first, folks were skeptical about the streamer’s ability to capture the story’s essence. But Netflix managed to silence their doubts by bringing on Gaiman as an executive producer on the project. With quite a few volumes remaining, there’s lots of material for season 2 to cover.
The Sandman was developed for Netflix by Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg and is produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. Much like the comic book, the series tells the story of Morpheus–the personification of dreams and one of The Seven Endless– who is captured in a 1916 occult ritual. After being held captive for 106 years, Dream escapes and sets out to restore order to The Dreaming realm. The series stars Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, alongside Boyd Holbrook, Vivienne Acheampong, and Patton Oswalt in supporting roles.
Interestingly, efforts to adapt The Sandman to live-action began in 1991. But it floundered in a development vortex for years before being scrapped. In 2013, Goyer pitched an adaptation of the series to Warner Bros with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the star. But the actor exited the project three years later over creative differences. Due to the prolonged development, the studio shifted its focus to television with Netflix signing a deal to produce the series in June 2019. However, there’s still no confirmation for season 2.
Following The Sandman’s premiere on August 5th, the series received mostly positive reviews from critics who praised the casting, production design, costumes, faithfulness to its source material, and visual effects. The performances by Tom Sturridge and David Thewlis were also applauded. Hopefully, these actors get to explore their compelling characters in season 2.
