Neil Gaiman Shares Some Hopeful News About The Sandman Season 2

Given the long history of production difficulties and failures, a full-length academic monograph could be dedicated to the live-action adaptations of Neil Gaiman's works. One only needs to consider the dramatic drop in ratings for the second and third seasons of American Gods. There's no denying that the author's work is profound; his characters are layered, and his worlds are intricate and vivid, all of which pose hefty challenges for studios and actors alike.

However, BBC and Amazon's Good Omens, along with Warner Bros. and Netflix's The Sandman, have demonstrated that adaptations, especially those where Gaiman has creative control, can be quite successful, attracting both long-time fans and newcomers. Regrettably, due to The Sandman being an American production, its future was threatened by the Hollywood labor dispute. Fortunately, the WGA strike has now ended, and with the SAG-AFTRA strike about to end, Gaiman is poised to share some promising news with fans.

Production of Season 2

Following the release of the first season, the show received praise from both critics and audiences for its faithfulness to the graphic novel, compelling storyline, impressive visual effects, and strong performances. As a result, after the high ratings of Season 1, fans expected news of the next season in short order.

And they were not mistaken. Writing for Season 2 commenced in August 2022, and in November of that same year, Netflix officially confirmed the series' renewal. Filming began in June 2023, but less than a month later, a strike by SAG-AFTRA member actors followed the writers, pausing the production of the series indefinitely.

Promising News from Gaiman

However, on September 27, following successful negotiations with the AMPTP, the writers officially ended their strike. With the major studios finally agreeing to pay writers more, SAG-AFTRA will likely achieve similar results — the outcome of the negotiations is to be announced today, Monday, October 2.

All of this implies that filming on The Sandman may resume soon. Neil Gaiman announced this positive news on his personal blog.

'We shot two weeks of it before the strikes closed it down,' he wrote. 'When SAG settle, I hope it will start shooting once more.'

The return of The Sandman's All-Father is an encouraging sign, indicating that the production team is already actively involved. It's uncertain whether the results of the strikes will affect the Season 2 budget due to potential increases in actor and writer pay, but given the show's immense popularity, it's unlikely.