The Sandman season 2 release date, clips and latest news
The fantasy drama reaches its conclusion this summer.
The final season of The Sandman is now mere months away, with fans intrigued to learn how this abbreviated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's sprawling comic book series will end.
Given that the acclaimed source material spanned 10 volumes in total, it came as a surprise that Netflix's live-action version would be going no further than its second entry – but showrunner Allan Heinberg assures this was always the plan.
While the legendary DC Comics title is essentially an anthology series, hopping between a large and varied ensemble cast, the screenwriter intended this adaptation to solely follow the story of Dream (Tom Sturridge).
The creative team appears confident that they have done justice to The Sandman saga in these two seasons, but no doubt there will be spirited debate post-release over whether this was a rushed farewell to Gaiman's fantastical universe.
Sexual misconduct allegations were recently made against the fantasy author, which he strongly denies, but the decision to end The Sandman reportedly came long before those claims.
Here's a round-up of everything we know about The Sandman season 2 on Netflix.
The Sandman season 2 release date
The Sandman season 2 will be released in two parts this summer, with the first six episodes scheduled to land on Netflix on Thursday 3rd July 2025.
The final five episodes of the series will follow three weeks later, premiering on the streaming platform on Thursday 24th July 2025, bringing the fantasy drama to a close.
The show was renewed for a second entry way back in November 2022, months after the first episodes dropped, with a statement by Netflix calling it "a continuation of The Sandman world".
Most fans assumed it could take several more seasons to adapt all 10 volumes of the graphic novels, but showrunner Allan Heinberg revealed in January that the second entry would instead serve as an "epic conclusion" to the series.
He explained: "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."
The statement suggests that The Sandman was only ever intended for two seasons – marking a significant abbreviation of the original comic book's 75 issues – as opposed to being dropped in response to allegations against author Neil Gaiman.
The novelist has firmly denied any non-consensual or illegal conduct. Writing on his blog in January 2025, Gaiman said: "As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise and moments I don't, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen.
"I'm far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever."
The Sandman season 2 cast: New and returning
Tom Sturridge will reprise his role of Dream aka Morpheus in The Sandman season 2, alongside a mix of new and returning cast members.
The Sandman comic books form a sprawling saga which sees a revolving door of characters pass in and out, but we're expecting several key players from season 1 to make an appearance in the final episodes.
A behind-the-scenes video released in September 2024 confirm returns for Kirby Howell-Baptiste's Death, Mason Alexander Park's Desire and Donna Preston's Despair in season 2.
It followed an announcement that Esmé Creed-Miles (The Doll Factory), Adrian Lester (Renegade Nell) and Barry Sloane (Passenger) had joined the cast as Delirium, Destiny and The Prodigal respectively, members of Dream's godlike family.
In terms of new additions, Steve Coogan will voice Destruction's talking dog Barnabas, while Jack Gleeson (notorious King Joffrey in Game of Thrones) will play a mischief-causing sprite named Puck.
Adding to the cosmic power of The Endless will be another pantheon of gods, comprised of Clive Russell's Odin, Freddie Fox's Loki and Laurence O'Fuarain's Thor – no doubt they will be providing a decidedly different take to Marvel's popular incarnations.
Rounding out the cast is Douglas Booth (The Riot Club) as Cluracan, Indya Moore (Pose) as Wanda, Ruairi O'Connor as Orpheus and Ann Skelly as Nuala.
Here's a round-up of The Sandman season 2's confirmed cast members:
- Tom Sturridge as Dream/Morpheus
- Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne
- Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven
- Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death
- Mason Alexander Park as Desire
- Donna Preston as Despair
- Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain
- Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium
- Adrian Lester as Destiny
- Barry Sloane as The Prodigal
- Steve Coogan as Barnabas
- Jack Gleeson as Puck
- Clive Russell as Odin
- Freddie Fox as Loki
- Laurence O'Fuarain as Thor
- Douglas Booth as Cluracan
- Indya Moore as Wanda
- Ruairi O'Connor as Orpheus
- Ann Skelly as Nuala
Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman addressed her possible future in The Sandman, telling RadioTimes.com when season 1 was released that Lady Johanna's introduction is a "seed" for bigger things to come.
On his character's ambiguous fate, Boyd Holbrook said: "I had a great experience on this. And I think we'd all love to continue The Sandman. It's the universe that just keeps going on and on.
"I believe that The Corinthian is reincarnated at a certain point in time in the comic, so we'll see."
What could happen in The Sandman season 2 plot?
The Sandman season 1 ending suggested that the next edition of the show would primarily focus on the fourth volume of the graphic novel, titled Season of Mists.
This instalment sees Dream return to Hell, where Lucifer Morningstar is waiting for him, unleashing chaos by abdicating her throne and starting a new life on Earth – freeing her demons in the process.
We also know that we'll meet the rest of Dream's Endless siblings, including new additions Destiny, Delirium and Destruction, at a dinner party where you can expect some difficult conversations to take place.
Now that the fantasy drama is confirmed to be ending with season 2, it's possible that elements from later volumes of the comics will be woven into the forthcoming episodes to build naturally towards a satisfying conclusion.
Is there a trailer for The Sandman season 2?
Although there isn't a trailer for The Sandman season 2 just yet, we did get a look behind-the-scenes on the upcoming episodes last year, with a particular insight into adapting a pivotal scene from the comic books. Watch here:
More recently, Netflix dropped a short teaser to announce the release dates for parts 1 and 2 of The Sandman's final season, which offers another glimpse at the epic scope and high drama of the forthcoming episodes. Check it out here:
The Sandman is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
