Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman Cancelled At Netflix And Will End With Upcoming Season 2

All good dreams must come to an end sooner or later, and so it goes that a very good Dream is about to come to an end imminently on Netflix. In news that will likely come as a surprise to precisely nobody, today the streaming giant has announced that its dark fantasy epic The Sandman will conclude with the release of its upcoming second season. Officially, the line is that the series is finishing because the story of Tom Sturridge's Morpheus — aka Dream — is coming to its natural end. And while that is doubtless a key factor, much like Prime Video's suddenly cut short Good Omens, it's hard not to assume that the serious and ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct that have been brought against creator Neil Gaiman in recent months have played their part in Netflix's decision to pull the plug. You can read a statement on the show's ending from showrunner Allan Heinberg below;

In his official statement accompanying news of the comic book adaptation's ending, Heinberg — who pointedly makes no reference to Gaiman whatsoever — thanks Netflix for allowing he and his collaborators to bring the Lord of Dreams and his Endless family's story to a close. “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," writes Heinberg. And in fairness to Heinberg and his team, while the sensitive situation regarding Gaiman and the serious allegations he faces may have ensured there would be no further series based on the Sandman universe, the uphill battle to get Season 2 greenlit and inclusion of characters who appear far later in The Sandman cycle among the second series' line-up do corroborate reports that the show was perhaps already on its way out after all.

The cast for The Sandman Season 2, which draws several characters from both the Season Of Mists and Brief Lives comic collections, includes *deep breath* Ruairi O'Connor (The Morning Show) as poet Orpheus; Game Of Thrones' Clive Russell and Jack Gleeson as Odin and malevolent hobgoblin Puck; Freddie Fox (Slow Horses) as God of Chaos Loki; Laurence O’Fuarain (The Gentlemen) as stormbringer Thor; and Indya Moore (Queen & Slim) as security agent/professional driver Wanda. They're joined by Douglas Booth (Loving Vincent) and Ann Skelly's Faerie court emissaries Cluracan and Nuala, and Steve Coogan, who voices the opinionated canine companion of The Endless' Prodigal brother (Barry Sloane). Adrian Lester and Esmé Creed-Miles play Dream's other Endless siblings Destiny and Delirium.

Check out a new poster for the final season of The Sandman below;

The Sandman Season 2 is set to arrive on Netflix sometime in March, and Heinberg promises fans can expect a doozy of a denouement ahead. "We will visit the underworld of Hades and Persephone, the courtly realm of Faerie, ancient Greece, Elizabethan England, [and] the French Revolution,” teases the showrunner. “We will meet demons and fairies and gods and demiurges from across all the realms … and that’s just the first few episodes.” Sounds like a Dream ending awaits a show that's been made for, carried by, and will forever belong to the fans.