Three years after its first season, the second and final outing for The Sandman is about to drop on Netflix
It all starts with a dream, and on Netflix, it is set to conclude with one as the second and final season of The Sandman is about to drop.
The first season of the show, adapted from the DC comic series The Sandman written by Neil Gaiman, saw lead character Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) uncreate the rogue nightmare, The Corinthian, and destroy the Dream Vortex, which threatened to consume his kingdom and our universe.
Meanwhile, in Hell, Lucifer and Mazikeen plotted their revenge against Dream for having publicly embarrassed them.
Dream also came to the aid of his estranged wife, the muse Calliope, with whom he had fallen out over the fate of their son, Orpheus.
Now, as his story arc comes to a dramatic conclusion, he must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds in the second season.
When will The Sandman season 2 be on UK Netflix?
Season two of The Sandman, the last in the series, will be released by Netflix in two streaming volumes.
Volume 1, which will contain episodes one to six, will be released on Thursday, 3 July at 8am (BST).
Volume 2, containing episodes seven to 11, will be out on Thursday, 24 July.
And there will be a special bonus episode released on Thursday, 31 July.
Viewers will need a subscription to Netflix, which costs from £5.99 a month, to watch season two. For those yet to catch up with The Sandman, season one is still available to stream.
Who is in the cast of The Sandman season 2?
Tom Sturridge
Tom Sturridge leads the cast as Lord Morpheus/ Dream of the Endless, the personification of dreams and nightmares.
The British actor, 39, played Henry VI in The Hollow Crown and Jake in Sweetbitter.
He has starred in the films The Boat that Rocked, Effie Gray, Mary Shelley and Widow Cliquot.
On stage, he has appeared in The Trial, American Buffalo and 1984.
Mason Alexander Park
Mason Alexander Park plays Desire, an Endless sibling of Dream and the embodiment of everything you want.
The American actor, 29, starred as Ian Wright in the television series Quantum Leap and played Gren in Cowboy Bebop. They have also appeared in the film National Anthem.
On stage, they had roles in Cabaret, The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing.
Jenna Colman
Jenna Coleman plays Johanna Constantine, an aristocrat and adventurer.
British actor Coleman, 39, launched her career as Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale.
She has since starred in Waterloo Road, Titanic, Doctor Who, Death Comes to Pemberley, Victoria, The Serpent and The Jetty.
On film, she has appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger and All of You.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Kirby Howell-Baptiste is Death of the Endless, the elder sister of Dream.
Howell-Baptiste, 37, has appeared in the films A Dog’s Purpose, Cruella and We Strangers.
On television, she has starred in Downward Dog, Love, The Good Place, Killing Eve, Barry, Veronica Mars, Why Women Kill, Infinity Train, Culprits and Sugar.
The cast of season two of The Sandman also includes:
- Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne (Everything Now, Famalam)
- Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven (Manhunt, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty)
- Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian (A Complete Unknown, Justified: City Primeval)
- Donna Preston as Despair (Pickle Storm, Apocalypse Wow)
- Barry Sloane as The Prodigal (Revenge, The Bay)
- Nina Wadia as Fate Mother (Eastenders, Count Abdulla)
- Soad Faress as Fate Crone (We Are Lady Parts, Alexander: The Making of a God)
- Dinita Gohil as Fate Maiden (The Road Trip DI Ray),
- Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar (Game of Thrones, Severance)
- Razane Jamal as Lyte Hall (Al Thaman, Paranormal)
- Mark Hamill as Merv Pumpkinhead (Star Wars, The Fall of the House of Usher)
- Asim Chaudhry as Abel (People Just Do Nothing, Industry)
- Cassie Clare as Mazikeen (The Witcher, Delicious)
- Esme Creed-Miles as Delirium (The Thicket, The Doll Factory)
- Steve Coogan as Barnabas (Alan Partridge, Brian and Maggie)
- Stephen Fry as Gilbert (Gosford Park, Wilde)
- Freddie Fox as Loki (Slow Horses, House of the Dragon)
- Adrian Lester as Destiny (Hustle, Riviera)
- Douglas Booth as Cluracan (Jupiter Ascending, The Dirt)
Why has The Sandman been cancelled?
Allan Heinberg, the show’s creator, has revealed that The Sandman was always intended as a two-season fantasy drama from its inception in 2022 and was not cancelled.
He told Netflix’s Tudum: “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.
“We are extremely grateful to Netflix for bringing the team 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.”
The show is reported to have been very expensive to make; each episode of season one had an estimated budget of $15m (£11m), according to the US website Deadline.
The final season will air as The Sandman‘s original author, Neil Gaiman, faces allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied.
The 64-year-old author was accused of sexual misconduct by eight women in an article in New York Magazine in January this year.
He issued a denial in a blog post, entitled Breaking the Silence, on his website earlier this year.
He wrote: “Over the past many months, I have watched the stories circulating the internet about me with horror and dismay.
“I’ve stayed quiet until now, both out of respect for the people who were sharing their stories and out of a desire not to draw even more attention to a lot of misinformation.
“As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise and moments I don’t, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen.
“I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.
At the same time, as I reflect on my past – and as I re-review everything that actually happened as opposed to what is being alleged – I don’t accept there was any abuse.
“To repeat, I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone.”
Mr Gaiman has faced a civil lawsuit from one of the eight women, a former employee, alleging sexual assault.
He denied the allegations and has asked the courts for the case to be dismissed.
