Picture: Netflix
After two years of waiting, Netflix’s The Sandman season 2 is nearly at the end of filming. Two major cast members are sharing their final day on set. The new batch of episodes is expected to premiere sometime in the first quarter of 2025.
The Sandman season 2 has had a rocky production process, to say the least. Netflix famously took several months to renew the series for additional episodes. Once renewed, the streamer quickly halted filming due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023. It wasn’t until November 2023 that filming really began to ramp up. Production has been ongoing through to today but it’s unclear if everyone wrapped or just the two stars who posted about their last days on set. Indeed, the original wrap date is scheduled for August 31st, 2024 suggesting some more production is to go before everything is in the can.
Stars Mason Alexander Park (Desire) and Donna Preston (Despair) have both taken to Instagram to share the news that season 2 has wrapped. “That’s a wrap on this little minx,” Mason Alexander Park commented.
Picture: masonalexanderpark on Instagram
Donna Preston also shared a photo of herself outside Shepperton Studios, where a Sandman billboard marks the occasion. “That’s a wrap for me on The Sandman series 2,” she wrote, “and what a great way to celebrate it by having our very own billboard at [Netflix UK] studios!
Picture: thedonnapreston
The Sandman season 2 features a significantly larger ensemble cast than season 1. Netflix recently announced an impressive slate of new faces, including Barry Sloane (Destruction), Esmé Creed-Miles (Delirium), Steve Coogan (Barnabas), Ruairi O’Connor (Orpheus), Jack Gleeson (Puck), Clive Russell (Odin), Freddie Fox (Loki), Laurence O’Fuarain (Thor), Indya Moore (Wanda), Ann Skelly (Nuala), and Douglas Booth (Cluracan).
Season 2 filmed across the United Kingdom, most notably in Bourne Wood, Durdle Door, Frensham Little Pond, and Chatsworth House. Numerous leaked images have surfaced in the last year, giving us first-looks at new and returning characters.
Filming On The Sandman Season 2
The show will now move into post-production. Given that it relies heavily on special effects, this will no doubt take a while to complete.
What can we expect from The Sandman season 2?
Netflix is yet to confirm any details on the structure of the new season, but it appears as if the series may be concluding prematurely. The new episodes appear to cover volumes of the comic that fans wouldn’t expect until much further down the line.
We currently know that the new episodes will cover the Season of Mists and Brief Lives story arcs, as well as one-shot stories like The Song of Orpheus.
However, we’re also seeing leaked images from the set of the production filming scenes from The Kindly Ones and The Wake — the penultimate and final volumes of the comic. And while they could be filming ahead of themselves to save budget in the future (something they did in season 1), it’s looking increasingly likely that the desired run for Sandman could be cut short. The move makes sense for Netflix, of course, with the streamer making numerous cutbacks this year.
Interestingly, Netflix has never referred to the next installment as ‘season 2,’ but rather as an extension of the story based on ‘multiple volumes’ of the comic. It’s all very vague.
An early 2025 release date seems like a viable estimate. Netflix may also split the season into two batches of episodes, similar to what they did with Bridgerton season 3. As confirmed in a recent teaser, The Sandman will have a big presence at Netflix’s annual Geeked Week event. Geeked Week 2024 begins September 16.
