When The Sandman returns to Netflix for its second season, fans can expect the tone and subject matter of the series to make some rapid and dramatic changes from episode to episode.
Jamie Childs, a director on The Sandman Seasons 1 and 2, spoke to ScreenRant about the upcoming installment of the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s iconic dark fantasy comic of the same name. Regarding progress that the creative team has made so far, Childs noted, “And to be excited about one bit, it’s quite hard to say because honestly every day is different on that show … We’re doing Greek tragedy, and then we’re doing cyberpunk, and we’re doing contemporary drama, or we’re doing cat and mouse chess stuff. It’s honestly it’s such a fun show to work on for that reason.”
The Sandman’s long road to screen adaptation
The mix of genres coming together in a single story was well established in The Sandman comic. Arcs and individual issues often focus on different world mythologies and fables, and the art style also various throughout the entire series. For instance, the Greek tragedy that Childs referenced is likely to manifest in a version of the tale of Orpheus, with Hades, Persephone, and Eurydice reportedly being cast for Season 2.
This is one aspect of The Sandman that made it difficult to adapt, with several attempts abandoned before Netflix greenlit the current TV series. As Childs noted in the interview, “…It was scary coming out at the first time because it’s like, we’re the first time putting that on screen and everyone who’s tried historically has not managed it yet. So we’re like, what’s different about us? Nothing. We could just mess this up or whatever.”
However, the show has met with great success so far, and Childs acknowledged, “But we did Season 1 stuff really works.”
The Sandman Season 1 came to Netflix in 2021. A release window for Season 2 has not yet been announced, but a series adapting The Sandman spin-off comics Dead Boy Detectives is in the works at Netflix and will be set in the same world.
