The Sandman Season 2: Release Date, Cast, Source Material, and More

Netflix has renewed The Sandman, its fantastical take on the acclaimed DC comic, for a second season. It's a dream come true. 

The long-awaited adaptation of writer Neil Gaiman's Sandman comic premiered in August 2022, and for awhile there fans were worried it wasn't going to be renewed, with Gaiman himself warning that topping the Netflix chart may not be enough for the expensive show to earn a second season. But those fears turned out to be unfounded, and Netflix ordered more episodes earlier this month.

Season 1 followed Morpheus aka Dream (Tom Sturridge) on his quest to to set things right in his realm, the Dreaming, after being held captive for 105 years. So what will the new episodes — which Netflix for some reason is being cagey about calling Season 2 — bring? Here's everything we know about The Sandman Season 2 so far.

Latest news

The renewal announcement came by way of Neil Gaiman's Twitter on Nov. 2, complete with an ominous teaser video. 

A press release from Netflix did not refer to the pickup as a second season, but rather an unspecified number of new episodes and "stories to be adapted from multiple The Sandman graphic novels." It's possible that rather than releasing a proper season, the show could take on a more anthological style, with more episodes like the two-part "story collection" bonus episode that was released two weeks after Season 1. Or it might just end up being a regular old second season, whether or not Netflix officially describes it as such. We'll just have to wait and see what form The Sandman takes. 

The Sandman Season 2 release date

There is no set release date as of yet. Check back to see when production will begin.

The Sandman Season 2 plot and source material

Season 1 left off with Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie) plotting revenge on Morpheus for dealing them a humiliating defeat in battle earlier in the season. According to Netflix, "the new episodes of the series will dive into that conflict and continue to explore the many challenges facing the universe in the wake of Morpheus' century-long absence." 

In Netflix's renewal announcement, Neil Gaiman dropped some hints about what source material Season 2 will adapt. "There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them (not to mention more members of the Endless Family to meet)," he said. "Nobody is going to be happier about this than the Sandman cast and crew: They are the biggest Sandman fans there are. And now it's time to get back to work. There's a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell…"  

The Endless "family meal" and Lucifer and Morpheus' infernal reunion to which Gaiman is referring both happen in Season of Mists, which collects The Sandman issues #21-28. Season of Mists follows what happens after Morpheus returns to Hell in search of his lost love, Queen Nada (Deborah Oyelade), and Lucifer surprises him by freeing all demons and lost souls, abdicating the throne, and handing him the key to the gates of Hell. 

Season 1 followed the chronology of the comic series fairly closely, and presumably Season 2 will do the same, because Season of Mists is the fourth collection and comes right after the three collections that made up Season 1, Preludes & Nocturnes, The Doll's House, and Dream Country. Dream Country consists of four standalone stories. Two of them, "Dream of A Thousand Cats" and "Calliope," made up Season 1's bonus episode. The other two, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Façade," remain unadapted for now, but based on what we know of the show's fidelity to the source material, we expect to see them in Season 2. 

The Sandman Season 2 cast

Netflix hasn't confirmed who will be returning in the new season, but we can safely assume Tom Sturridge will be reprising his role as the Lord of Dreams himself, and Gwendoline Christie will no doubt be back as Lucifer, since Lucifer and Dream have unfinished business. 

Other characters we're comfortable predicting are coming back at this point are Vivienne Acheampong as the Dreaming's librarian Lucienne, Patton Oswalt as the voice of Morpheus' emissary Matthew the Raven, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, and Donna Preston as Dream's Endless siblings Death, Desire, and Despair, respectively. And Season 2 will surely introduce us to a lot of new characters, including Destiny, Delirium, and Destruction, the three Endless we didn't meet in Season 1. 

The Sandman Season 1 review

In his review of Season 1 for TV Guide, Keith Phipps called The Sandman "respectful, faithful, and maybe a tad too unsurprising adaptation that benefits from a thoughtfully selected cast and creative visuals while never trying too hard to explore what a different medium could do for Gaiman's world." 

Where to watch The Sandman

The Sandman Season 2 will stream on Netflix. You can watch all 11 episodes of Season 1 on Netflix now.