Neil Gaiman recently celebrated The Sandman‘s 35th anniversary, as well as the news that the wonderful Netflix adaptation has begun production on season 2.
When books or comic books are adapted into visual media, they often lose part of their magic. A surprising exception to that is Netflix’s take on The Sandman. The comic book series, written by Neil Gaiman, has been a cult classic since it came out in 1988. The story opens with Dream, the master of dreams, being captured by men who think they can cheat death. Instead of trapping Death, the sorcerers accidentally catch her bother, Dream. While imprisoned, sleeping sicknesses and nightmares plague the real world. When Dream finally gets free, he’s got a lot to clean up.
The Sandman comic books are iconic. So when Netflix announced they were working closely with Gaiman to create a series, many people were nervous about how good it would be. However, Netflix did a masterful job of bringing Dream and his story to life. After the success of the first season in 2022, Netflix announced more episodes were coming. Now that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have been resolved, production on The Sandman season 2 has started.
To celebrate the second season of the show and the 35th anniversary of the comic books, Gaiman penned a letter describing what the journey has been like for him. It must be amazing to see how something he created over 35 years ago is still thriving and beloved by people around the world. The letter is a lovely ode to never knowing where life will take us and a reminder that there are more wonderful things soon to come.
As reported in Variety, Gaiman wrote:
We never know where our dreams will take us. 35 years ago today, the first issue of The Sandman was released and set many people and characters on paths that seemed, even at the time, so unlikely as to be impossible. Back then most comics featured superheroes. Sandman wasn’t that. It wasn’t like anything else, but magically (the magic consisting of hard work, youthful overconfidence, and some key people who believed in the vision) we were given the opportunity to tell the story I had in my head and bring Morpheus and the rest of the Endless to life.
A little over 36 years ago, in October 1987, the worst storm in at least 500 years left my house without power and my family trapped in our little village by fallen trees, and I spent my time writing an outline for the first eight issues of Sandman.
Thirteen months later, in November 1988, the first issue of Sandman hit the comics shops.
Like those who walk a path in Destiny’s garden, I look back and see one clear path stretching behind me. At times on this journey the way forward seemed impossible, and I don’t think I could have conceived of the impact that these characters would have on individuals or on the world. When I look at the path ahead, though, I don’t see darkness. I see how the world of The Sandman continues to grow and evolve and take new forms.
This week we officially restart production on the next sequence of stories of The Sandman for Netflix. Genius show runner Allan Heinberg and the countless people in front of and behind the camera are building something endlessly special, and bringing these stories to life in a way that would once have been unimaginable.
A journey is beginning that will take us from Destiny’s garden to Hell, from the Heart of the Dreaming to Ancient Greece and revolutionary France, and from there to places even I cannot quite imagine on the screen. I will be patient. Good things are coming.
Even if it takes a while, your dreams can still come true. In the meantime, “good things are coming” for us and The Sandman.
(via Variety, featured image: Netflix)
