In the Trailer for 'The Sandman's' Conclusion, The Dreaming Is Under Threat

Every Dream ends, or at least so it would appear in the trailer for The Sandman’s final episodes. Netflix has helpfully released a trailer offering a first look at the remaining five episodes of the show’s final season. The new clip showcases the massive scope of the danger that Morpheus now faces. Having kept his promise and done the forbidden (“spilled family blood”), Dream is now on borrowed time, forced to make a series of increasingly impossible choices as he scrambles to protect his kingdom and all The Dreaming’s residents from the fallout.  

The series stars Tom Sturridge (Far from the Madding Crowd) as Dream, one of the seven immortal beings called the Endless, who are essentially immortal personifications of various aspects of human reality. (Sort of. You’ll see.) The first half of Season 2 adapted bits and pieces from multiple comics installments, including Season of Mists and Brief Lives, as well as one-shots “Thermidor”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “The Song of Orpheus”. It appears that the final five episodes will tackle later volumes, including The Kindly Ones and The Wake, as well as the prequel tale The Sandman: Overture, and a handful of additional standalone stories, such as “The Tempest”. 

The scale of the final installments appears to be suitably epic, and the trailer features everything from faerie princess Nuala (Ann Skelly) promising to build Dream an army to Mervyn Pumpkinhead (Mark Hamill) brandishing a machine gun and the return of the literal nightmare known as the Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook). (Also, in an intriguing swerve from the comics, it certainly looks as though Jenna Coleman’s modern-day Johanna Constantine is also somehow involved in these final chapters. You love to see it!) 

“This season is about Dream’s having to accept responsibility for his arrogance, for his ignorance, and for his feelings — which he doesn’t even admit to having,” showrunner Allan Heinberg told Netflix’s Tudum. “But sooner or later, we all have to reckon with the fact that the struggles we face are often of our own making. Dream must now figure out what to do about it."

Here's the broader Season 2 synopsis. 

After a fateful reunion with his family, Dream of the Endless must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds. To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals. But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything.

Alongside Sturridge as Dream, the series also stars Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Culprits) as Death, Donna Preston (Hard Cell) as Despair, Adrian Lester (Renegade Nell) as Destiny, Esme Creed-Miles (The Doll Factory) as Delirium, Barry Sloane (Passenger) as Destruction, and Mason Alexander Park (Quantum Leap) as Desire. 

Other cast members appearing in Season 2 include Vivienne Acheampong (Everything Now) as Lucienne, Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) as Lucifer Morningstar, Stephen Fry (Heartstopper) as Gilbert/Fiddler's Green, Asim Chaudhry (The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin) as Abel, Sanjeev Bhaskar (Unforgotten) as Cain, Ferdinand Kingsley (Silo) as Hob Gadling, Patton Oswalt (What We Do in the Shadows) as Matthew the Raven, Razane Jammal (Doubt) as Lyta Hall, and newcomer Vanesu Samunyai as Rose Walker.

Heinberg has taken over as series showrunner, with Jamie Childs (His Dark Materials) directing all episodes. Series writers include Ameni Rozsa, Alex Newman-Wise, Austin Guzman, Shadi Petosky, Jim Campolongo, Vanessa Benton, Jay Franklin, Greg Goetz, and Marina Marlens.

The Sandman Season 2, Volume 2 will premiere on Netflix on July 24, 2025, followed by a bonus episode, "The Sandman Presents: Death and the High Cost of Living" on July 31. Both Season 1 and Season 2, Volume 1 are now streaming.