The cinematic universe concept has grown from relative obscurity to all-consuming ubiquity over only fifteen years. Every studio wants a chunk of the mountain of cash Marvel made with their comics-inspired crossover multiverse. Most studios have embarrassed themselves by failing to knock off the MCU. Viewers sick of their favorite shows chasing this trend may be dismayed to see The Sandman follow in those footsteps. Thankfully, they've built a universe before.
Neil Gaiman's Sandman series underwent one of history's most difficult transitions from the page to the screen. The adaptation that reached Netflix was almost universally celebrated. After months of uncertainty, the show was granted a second season. While fans waited, Netflix announced another troubled series, Dead Boy Detectives, and then quickly mentioned its direct association with the story of Dream and Death.
Netflix's The Sandman Season 2 Gets An Update From Neil Gaiman
The Sandman season 2 gets a clear but exciting update about the hit Netflix show's production status from the series creator, Neil Gaiman.
What is the Sandman Universe?
The Sandman Universe is a comic book line that dropped in 2018 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Neil Gaiman's beloved series. It wasn't a reboot of the franchise. Instead, it reawakened Sandman after years spent asleep. Gaiman sought to give the world new adventures with Dream and his siblings, but he also wanted to hand control of some of his characters to other voices. Authors like Nalo Hopkinson, Kat Howard, and Dan Watters stepped in to revamp or reignite characters and comic brands that had been absent for years. It expanded to the once-prominent Sandman corner of the wider DC Universe. Sandman was always closely tied to other DC icons. Two months after the series debuted, DC cross-promoted Sandman in Swamp Thing and Hellblazer. Those three stories would remain intertwined for decades. Beyond attaching itself to other existing brands, Sandman generated spin-offs with almost stunning frequency.
Several characters from The Sandman earned solo projects. Some went on for years, while others were one-shot issues that handed a minor figure the spotlight. DC Vertigo launched four ongoing spin-off series. The Dreaming follows minor characters from Dream's realm as they struggle against supernatural threats and mundane problems. Lucifer depicts the titular gentleman devil after he abandons Hell to open a jazz club. Sandman Mystery Theater resurrects the Golden Age Sandman, Wesley Dodds, for a film-noir detective series. Finally, Dead Boy Detectives follows two ghost children who eschew the afterlife to solve supernatural mysteries. Those four spin-offs expanded the franchise with hundreds of new stories. Now that The Sandman has found small-screen success, it can bring some connected narratives to Netflix.
What could the Sandman Universe include?
The trouble with adapting the SandmanUniverse to Netflix is that they've already created shows out of several of its stories without connecting them. Tom Kapinos' Lucifer centers around an alternate version of Neil Gaiman's Lucifer. The Sandman cast Gwendoline Christie in the role, though it's unlikely Netflix would want to launch a second show with the same title and premise. Locke & Key also appeared in the Sandman Universe collections despite being initially unrelated to Gaiman's story. Those two stories aside, The Sandman Universe could expand beyond the first two outings. Here's a short list of comics in the franchise:
- The Dreaming
- House of Whispers: A voodoo-tinged story about mortals interacting with a party goddess trapped in the Dreaming
- Lucifer
- Books of Magic: An effort to give some of the mystical heroes in DC's backlog the spotlight
- John Constantine: Hellblazer
- Dead Boy Detectives
- Locke & Key
- Nightmare County: A solo project for The Sandman'sfirst nightmare, the Corinthian.
These series couldn't all make it to Netflix. Those already occupying the service are eliminated, but its fans are unlikely to see something like The Dreaming. It could make for an interstitial series or side story within The Sandman. Books of Magic would be an excellent anthology showcase for lesser-known figures in the DC Universe, though that would be more easily housed over at HBO Max. Dead Boy Detectives could premiere before the Sandman story that would have introduced the characters. That show was initially scheduled to play on Max, where it would serve as a spin-off to Doom Patrol. They used the Detectives first. This suggests that the Sandman Universe brand may be a more spur-of-the-moment decision. One made not to chase the cinematic universe gimmick but to connect shows that might otherwise flounder. That could change the trajectory of the idea.
Fans may never see the Sandman Universe logo after Dead Boy Detectives hits Netflix. The brand is more famous for canceling shows than it is for making them. Netflix doesn't have a cinematic universe in the MCU model today. Reaching toward lesser-known comic books is a clever strategy to create something similar. Many viewers are sick of comic book movies, but fans trust Neil Gaiman and a name like Dead Boy Detectives won't register within the genre. The Sandman Universe has a lot of potential, but its first extension's success will likely predict its future.
