NetflixThe King of Dreams will return as Netflix sets the stage for The Sandman Season 2. But there’s still plenty of details left to uncover, including a secret bonus.
Neil Gaiman‘s seminal comic book had 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.
Now we’re not going to be talking about the fallout with Gainman himself here (it’s Good Omens Season 3 that has suffered, not so much this), but the hype is having its ups and downs, let’s put it that way.
Nonetheless, The Sandman Season 2 is on its way… and with an unexpected surprise in store.
The Sandman Season 2 release date
The Sandman Season 2 will be released in three parts – Volume 1 on July 3, 2024, Volume 2 on July 24, 2025, and a special bonus episode on July 31, 2025.
NetflixVolume 1 will be made up of six episodes, while Volume 2 will be slightly shorter at five episodes.
Unfortunately, we already know The Sandman won’t return for a third 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,” showrunner Allen Heinberg said in a statement.
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Season 2 cast
The majority of The Sandman cast returns in Season 2, including Tom Sturridge as Morpheus. New actors are joining as the Endless family members and figures from Norse mythology like Thor and Loki.
NetflixThe full Season 2 cast looks as follows:
- Tom Sturridge as Morpheus
- 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
- Steve Coogan as Barnabas
- Ann Skelly as Nuala
- Indya Moore as Wanda
- Freddie Fox as Loki
- Douglas Booth as Cluragan
- Laurence O’Fuarain as Thor
- Clive Russell as Odin
- Jack Gleeson as Puck
“Each of these characters is as powerful as Dream — nearly as clever — and far more ruthless,” Heinberg said of Season 2’s new characters. “Together, they will ensnare Dream in a web of palace intrigue, glamour, demon battles, and spider-sex. None of which Dream is prepared for; all of which transform him into a far more dangerous Dream of the Endless.”
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.
The Sandman Season 2 plot
In The Sandman Season 2, “the King of Dreams will come face-to-face – and go toe-to-toe – with the formidable rulers of Hell, Asgard, Faerie, and the realms beyond,” Heinberg told Tudum.
NetflixThe debut season tied 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 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 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.
As for Wanda, Gaiman told Tudum, “Wanda began for me in 1988, because I had trans friends and was not seeing them reflected in the comics I was reading, so I resolved to create a trans woman in a mainstream comic, the first time that had happened.”
“For over three decades, people have been telling me that she was an inspiration to them. I’m thrilled that, 35 years later, she’s on the screen in all her glory.”
Episode titles
Each of our 12 episodes – including the special bonus episode – is now officially titled. If we’re to believe reading from left to right follows the correct order, we have the following:
- Episode 1: ‘Season of Mists’
- Episode 2: ‘The Ruler of Hell’
- Episode 3: ‘More Devils than Vast Hell Can Hold’
- Episode 4: ‘Brief Lives’
- Episode 5: ‘The Song of Orpheus’
- Episode 6: ‘Family Blood’
- Episode 7: ‘Time and Night’
- Episode 8: ‘Fuel for the Fire’
- Episode 9: ‘The Kindly Ones’
- Episode 10: ‘Long Live the King’
- Episode 11: ‘The Wake’
- Episode 12: ‘Death: The High Cost of Living’
Season 2 trailer
We don’t yet have a traditional series trailer, but you can catch up with the date announcement trailer below:
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