"We knew we only had enough story for one more season," showrunner says ahead of second and final season's arrival this year
Netflix has announced that The Sandman, its series based on the graphic novels by Neil Gaiman, will conclude with its upcoming second season.
While other streaming services, comic book publishers, and theater groups have severed ties with the author, who is accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, Season 2 of The Sandman remained in production following its renewal back in November 2022, over a year and a half before the allegations against Gaiman first surfaced.
On Friday, Netflix confirmed that The Sandman would return for its second season in 2025, but that the upcoming season would also be its last, Variety reports.
“‘The Sandman’ series has always been focused exclusively on Dream’s story, and back in 2022, when we looked at the remaining Dream material from the comics, we knew we only had enough story for one more season,” showrunner Allan Heinberg said in a statement.
“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.”
Variety confirmed The Sandman’s original plans to conclude with Season 2 even prior to the Gaiman allegations, citing high production costs and casting decisions that suggested that producers were jumping to the final issues of the graphic novel.
Following the initial allegations against Gaiman, Disney+ paused plans to adapt Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book into a feature film, and Prime Video pivoted away from a third season of Gaiman’s Good Omens, instead opting for a feature-length final episode without Gaiman’s participation.
In January, Dark Horse Comics canceled a comic book based on Gaiman’s Anansi Boys, and a planned stage musical based on Gaiman’s Coraline was also nixed.
In a statement posted to his website following the New York article that features the accounts of eight of his accusers, Gaiman wrote, “I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.”