MOVIE NEWS – Allan Heinberg, showrunner of Netflix’s hit fantasy series The Sandman, has finally spoken out about the show’s sudden cancellation and why it will end with its currently streaming second season. But is that really the truth? In the wake of sexual assault and misconduct allegations against creator Neil Gaiman, many expected The Sandman to continue past Season 2, but Netflix has ordered just one more batch of episodes to wrap things up. Heinberg, however, insists this isn’t why the story is ending now.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Heinberg explained that, because the TV adaptation centers exclusively on Tom Sturridge’s Morpheus—unlike the comics, which often take an anthology approach—he always envisioned the show as a two-season arc.

“During season one, we realized we’d focus only on stories where Dream was the main character. The comic is structured more like an anthology, with sprawling arcs where he sometimes only appears in a scene or two, but other characters take the lead. For a serialized TV drama, you need a central protagonist the audience can follow and root for all the way through.”

Heinberg discussed the challenges of anthology TV (“they’re very difficult to pull off” due to constantly introducing new faces) and revealed that he and his writers originally spent months building a three-episode arc to insert Dream into the Barbie-centric “A Game of You”—a storyline that doesn’t actually feature him much in the comics. Ultimately, the plan changed.

“The writers and I spent two months plotting a three-episode story for Dream in A Game of You, but to do that, it had to become a Dream-focused arc, which took a lot of effort and debate.”

Was ‘The Sandman’ Always Meant to Be Just Two Seasons?

Heinberg says it was partly Netflix’s decision to skip this arc, but also confirms he only ever planned for two seasons and one extra Death episode.

“I always thought of The Sandman as a three-season show with 11 episodes per season. Originally, season two would end with Orpheus’ death and Dream’s response, and then season three would cover The Kindly Ones [the ninth, penultimate Sandman volume] and everything after. When we cut A Game of You, it gave us space for all the Kindly Ones material and more, so organically the plan shifted: if we’re telling only Dream’s story, what fits in 11 episodes?”

Given how expansive the Sandman comics are—and that the show’s cancellation coincides with several other Neil Gaiman adaptations being cut back—it’s hard to believe this was always the plan. Still, it’s reassuring that Heinberg feels content with ending The Sandman after Season 2, hinting that the series will at least go out on its own terms.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter