Streaming giant Netflix on Saturday said it has decided to discontinue Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman after Season 2, a development that comes close on the heels of sexual misconduct allegations leveled against the writer.
Gaiman, who created The Sandman DC comics and developed the show, faced sexual assault allegations by at least eight women in an expose done by New York Magazine’s Vulture Blog.
“Dream’s journey has all been building to this. The story of THE SANDMAN comes to its epic conclusion in 2025, only on Netflix,” the streamer wrote alongside a poster of the final season on Instagram.
“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 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,” Allan Heinberg, showrunner of The Sandman series, said in a statement.
Following the debut of the first season in August 2022, The Sandman was renewed for a second instalment in November that year, with Netflix calling it “a continuation of The Sandman world”.
The Sandman is based on the 1989–1996 comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. The story follows Morpheus, the personification of dreams, who is captured in an occult ritual in 1916 and held captive for 106 years. Upon escaping, Dream sets out to restore order to his realm, the Dreaming.
In July last year, the makers had announced that comedian Steve Coogan and three Game of Thrones actors — Jack Gleeson, Clive Russell and Laurence O'Fuarain — have joined the cast of The Sandman Season 2.
Gaiman has publicly denied the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him, claiming that he did not engage in non-consensual sexual activities with anybody. Sharing a statement in his blog, his first since the allegations surfaced, Gaiman said he will “not admit to doing things he didn’t do”.
