Netflix’s The Sandman wakes from its slumber for big season 2 announcement
‘Good things are coming’
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It turns out dreams do come true.The Sandmanmust have made a wish ahead of its 35th birthday yesterday (November 29), because filming has finally resumed on the hit Netflix show’s second season.
In a press release,Netflixconfirmed that principal photography was up and running onThe Sandmanseason 2 again after it was halted due to the Hollywood actors strike.The Sandmanseason 2 was announced in November 2022, with filming originally beginning on June 23. Now, after a five-month interruption because of that industrial action, work has restarted on the streamer’s live-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s iconic graphic novel series.
To commemorate the occasion, Netflix released the first behind-the-scenes image from season 2, which shows Tom Sturridge’s Dream looking down on Mason Alexander Park’s Desire.
35 years ago today, the first issue of The Sandman comic was released. This week, The Sandman officially restarts production.In the words of @neilhimself, “Good things are coming.” pic.twitter.com/oLCU7UpFuLNovember 29, 2023
The Sandmanseason 2’s first major update since late June arrived on the same day that one of Gaiman’s most popular series celebrated its 35th birthday. Reflecting on his literary works, the world-renowned author penned an open letter to fans thanking them for their support since November 1988 – the month and year thatThe Sandman’s first comic issue was released – and teasing what’s to come in the show’s sophomore outing.
“This week we officially restart production on the next sequence of stories ofThe Sandmanfor Netflix,” part of Gaiman’s statement read. “Genius show runner Allan Heinberg and the countless people in front of and behind the camera are building something endlessly special, and bringing these stories to life in a way that would once have been unimaginable.
“A journey is beginning that will take us from Destiny’s garden to Hell, from the Heart of the Dreaming to Ancient Greece and revolutionary France, and from there to places even I cannot quite imagine on the screen. I will be patient. Good things are coming.”
A dream scenario for an ongoing Netflix nightmare
Netflix will be relieved that production has restarted onThe Sandmanseason 2. Inour review ofThe Sandmanseason 1, we called it a “remarkably authentic adaptation [that] is oh-so-nearly brilliant”. That might sound a tad harsh to some fans, especially considering thatThe Sandmanalso made its way onto ourbest Netflix showslist. And we agree – the popular fantasy show makes for a great watch, even if we had slight issues with some elements of its plot and character development.
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Okay, so why should the world’sbest streaming servicebe glad thatThe Sandman’s second season is back in the filmmaking groove? Aside from the fact it’s an incredibly well-made show, it’s also one of the last bastions of top-tier fantasy genre projects currently in development for the streaming giant.
As you might know,Netflix recently cancelledShadow and Boneafter two seasons. The young-adult fantasy series was beloved by large swathes of Netflix’s userbase, so much so that its cancellation led to an outpouring of angerthat resulted inShadow and Bonefans embarking on a campaign to save it.
ButShadow and Boneisn’t the only fantasy series that’s struggling on Netflix.The Witcher, another flagship Netflix TV original, isn’t performing well, either, withThe Witcherseason 3arguably the weakest entry in the hit series so far. Add in the cancellation of other fantasy-based productions includingWarrior Nun, and Netflix needs a genre-specific show, such asThe Sandman, to perform well and convince fantasy fans that there’s still top-tier content for them to enjoy on the platform.
IfThe Sandmanseason 2 is as good and popular, if not even better and more admired, than season 1, Netflix will be able to breathe a big sigh of relief; if it falls short, though, Netflix’s fantasy dream could quickly turn into a nightmare.
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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
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