The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman explained why, despite the adaptation's stellar performance on Netflix, a second season is not necessarily a guarantee.
According to Gaiman, much of the reasoning behind the lack of a Season 2 renewal comes down to cost. "Because Sandman is a really expensive show," he said in response to a fan on Twitter. "And for Netflix to release the money to let us make another season we have to perform incredibly well. So yes, we've been the top show in the world for the last two weeks. That still may not be enough."
On Aug. 19, Netflix surprised fans of the hit series by dropping a surprise bonus episode on the streaming platform following the premiere of Season 1, consisting of one animated, titled "A Dream of A Thousand Cats," and one live-action, "Calliope." Both adaptations were inspired by classic issues of the original Sandman comic series. Gaiman has previously confirmed that the release of the bonus episode does not guarantee that Netflix has renewed the series for a second season. "No word or decision from Netflix on Future Seasons," Gaiman said. "They will want to see how we do for the first month before committing. This is something else."
Netflix Has Not Yet Renewed The Sandman Season 2
The Sandman is based on the DC Comic series of the same name created by Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, which was originally published between 1989 and 1996 and consisted of 75 issues. Following the release of the 10-episode first season on Aug. 5, The Sandman has become the biggest streaming show on the planet, based on numbers provided by data science company Parrot Analytics. Currently, The Sandman has garnered "23.8 times the demand of the average series" following its premiere. This comes after earlier reports that The Sandman had topped Netflix's viewing charts for the second week in a row with 127.5 million hours viewed between Aug. 4 and 14.
While The Sandman has not been officially renewed by Netflix, executive producer David S. Goyer confirmed that scripts for Season 2 were in the works even before the show's Season 1 premiere. "In some ways, it's easier [writing Season 2 scripts] because we've educated the audience to the basic ideas," he said. "We've shown how the dreaming life can affect the waking world. With that groundwork done, the show can now build on those themes. They're more like jazz, where you get to plan variations, and we get to stretch our wings a bit more."
Season 1 of The Sandman is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Twitter