The Netflix sequence “The Sandman,” an adaptation of the well-known fantasy comedian sequence written by Neil Gaiman, will finish after the upcoming season 2. This will likely come as a shock to some followers, because the huge 10-volume comedian sequence certain appeared prefer it’d want greater than two seasons to wrap the whole lot up. However in accordance with Selection, who broke the information of the present’s cancellation, Netflix insiders are claiming they deliberate to finish the present with season 2 (airing later this 12 months) for awhile now:
“Sources near ‘The Sandman’ have been already telling Selection the expensive sequence, produced by Warner Bros. Tv for Netflix, was anticipated to finish with its second season when manufacturing was underway in summer season 2023. The reveal of Season 2 characters that have been forged in Might 2024 additional indicated the sequence was leaping to the tip of the comics a lot prior to followers anticipated.”
There’s some fact to that: The information that season 2 would come with characters like Ruby, who did not present up till quantity 7 within the comics, definitely did shock lots of followers. It is also true that “The Sandman” is an costly present to make. Which may be why Netflix waited two months after season 1 to lastly greenlight season 2, regardless of the primary season receiving sturdy viewership numbers.
Nevertheless, given the unlikelihood that season 2 has the time to do justice to all of volumes 4 by way of 10 (and the way season 1 did not even end protecting the primary three volumes), it appears extra probably that the present’s cancellation is the results of Neil Gaiman’s real-life actions. Gaiman was accused of sexual assault by 5 girls in a July 2024 podcast sequence; in January 2025, New York Journal printed a extra in-depth and harrowing account of Gaiman’s alleged acts of violent sexual assault and misconduct, a few of which allegedly occurred whereas his son was within the room.
Most Neil Gaiman diversifications have been canceled or postponed
If the allegations towards Gaiman are the actual purpose for Netflix canceling “The Sandman” earlier than season 2 even airs, it will not be the primary Gaiman-involved venture to obtain related therapy. In October 2024, Amazon Prime Video introduced that the deliberate “Good Omens” season 3 would now be condensed right into a single 90-minute film, with Gaiman not concerned creatively with the venture. It was a serious change contemplating that Gaiman was billed as a creator, government producer, and showrunner of the primary two seasons.
In September 2024, Disney paused manufacturing of a film adaptation for “The Graveyard E-book,” a child’s e book printed by Gaiman in 2008. On January 29 this 12 months, a U.Okay. stage manufacturing of “Coraline,” based mostly on Gaiman’s 2002 children’ e book of the identical identify, was scrapped solely. The play’s manufacturing issued a press release alongside the announcement studying, “After cautious consideration, we really feel it will be unattainable to proceed within the context of the allegations towards its authentic creator.”
“The Sandman” showrunner Allan Heinberg, in the meantime, has maintained that the upcoming second season was supposed to be its final. “‘The Sandman’ sequence has all the time been targeted completely on Dream’s story, and again in 2022, once we regarded on the remaining Dream materials from the comics, we knew we solely had sufficient story for another season,” he informed Selection on Friday. “We’re extraordinarily grateful to Netflix for bringing the group all again collectively and giving us the time and sources to make a devoted adaptation in a manner that we hope will shock and delight the comics’ loyal readers in addition to followers of our present.”
