It’s going to be a great weekend for The Sandman fans, as Netflix has released two surprise bonus episodes of the new fantasy series.
For some, it comes a little bit less of a surprise: last weekend the streaming giant posted and then deleted an episode of its YouTube series I Like Watching where RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Katya Zamolodchikova and Trixie Mattel discuss some of Netflix’s shows and films.
The YouTube video reportedly contained some unseen footage of The Sandman, making fans believe that there could, possibly, be a bonus episode in the works – and they weren’t wrong. Now there are two new episodes to enjoy.
The Sandman was released exactly a fortnight ago, and has been pulling in some high praise ever since.
“Watching the first episodes of The Sandman is like walking into Aladdin’s cave and running your fingers through all the jewels on display.
“This sumptuous rendering of Neil Gaiman’s iconic comic book is a visual feast, and a treasure trove of storylines waiting to be uncovered,” said The Standard.
Adapted from the bestselling comic book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, the show follows the story of Morpheus, aka Dream (aka a whole host of other names), who is released from imprisonment after 105 years.
Finally free – but changed forever – he sets about rebuilding his shadow realm, which has fallen into decay.
In the series description, Netflix tells us that the show is “a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, The Sandman follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic — and human — mistakes he’s made during his vast existence.”
In addition to Sturridge, the show stars Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, the ruler of hell, Jenna Coleman as occult detective Johanna Constantine and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Dream’s sister. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker himself) voices the character of Merv Pumpkinhead, while Boyd Holbrook plays the villain of the piece, called the Corinthian.
Neil Gaiman’s revival of the DC comic The Sandman became one of the best-selling and most popular graphic novels ever. Running from January 1989 to March 1996, it became one of the first comics to make it onto the New York Times Best Seller List. The 10-part Netflix series covers just 16 editions of the expansive 75-part graphic novel.
The series suffered several failed attempts to bring it to the screen, until 2019 when Netflix won the rights to the show. In this adaption, Gaiman, Allan Heinberg and David S. Goyer are writing the series and serving as executive producers, with Heinberg also acting as showrunner.
