After premiering in August, Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic The Sandman became one of the streamer’s biggest releases of the year, accumulating nearly 200 million viewing hours in its first 10 days. And the saga of Dream’s adventures is just beginning.
Fans had to wait months before Netflix confirmed that the show was renewed for a second season. Now, after the renewal was formally announced, controversy at Warner Bros. Discovery has raised doubts about the show’s future on Netflix.
To start, you have to understand that The Sandman isn’t made entirely in house at Netflix. DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television have a big hand in it, and Warner Bros. Discovery licenses it out to Netflix. According to a report from Deadline, newly installed Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is angry with “the way that Netflix deals are structured, paying producers over the course of 18 to 24 months.”
Warner Bros. and Netflix struck a deal for The Sandman before Zaslav came into the picture, but apparently he’s reviewing things and doesn’t like what he sees. Reading this, I wonder if the long wait for a renewal announcement was a result of these tensions. At least Netflix didn’t cancel like the show as they’ve done with so many others, including Cowboy Bebop, Warrior Nun, The Midnight Club Fate: The Winx Saga, Resident Evil, and so on. The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman himself took to Twitter to reassure fans that The Sandman will not suffer a similar fate:
Sandman Season 2 has been commissioned by a Netflix and is real. Whatever behind the scenes wrangling and negotiating needed to happen to make this a reality has already occurred. https://t.co/F73ULZPgkk
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) December 10, 2022
To cancel the show now would inspire the biggest outrage in Netflix’s history. Season 2 will tell some of the comic’s most iconic stories, including the “Season of Mists” arc where Lucifer abandons Hell and hands the key to Morpheus. We’ll also meet two more Endless siblings: Destiny and Delirium.
The Sandman star Asim Chaudhry talks about playing Abel
On The Sandman, Asim Chaudhry plays Abel, a resident of the Dreaming who’s repeatedly killed by his brother Cain. He only appeared in two episodes but he certainly made an impression, especially with his cute gargoyle Goldie.
Speaking to Cracked, Chaudhry couldn’t contain his delight to be part of such a beloved property. “It was an absolute honor and privilege to be involved with such a legendary saga.”
He also revealed that the team did everything they could to keep the show as faithful to the source material as possible. It definitely shows. Some fans are calling The Sandman one of the greatest comic book adaptations of all time:
"We just had so much fun doing it. We tried to keep it as real and as true to the comics as we could. Let’s hope for some more Cain and Abel, but you never know because there are so many stories yet to be told. I’m just happy to be part of it."
Fingers crossed we see more Cain and Abel in season 2. Filming is slated to begin next year!
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