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David Goyer has confirmed that Season 3 of The Sandman was never originally planned. In an interview with Variety published on May 29, Goyer explained that the creative team had always intended to wrap up the Netflix adaptation with a bigger second season.
At the time of developing the show, they were considering how to pace the story, and the idea of a third season wasn’t part of the initial framework.
“[The ending] was planned more than two years ago,” Goyer said.
He explained that due to the format and pacing of the original comic, the adaptation moved through the source material faster than expected.
“When we talked through it, we felt, let’s make a slightly bigger Season 2 and take it through to the end.”
This decision was made before any public controversies involving Neil Gaiman emerged. As Goyer clarified,
“We were very, very far down the path and Neil wasn’t as involved in Season 2 as he was in Season 1.”
Below is a breakdown of what Goyer shared about The Sandman’s ending, why Season 3 was not part of the original plan, and how real-world developments may impact the show's future.
Why The Sandman Season 3 wasn’t in the plan
According to Goyer, the creative team behind The Sandman did not intend to make a third season when they began planning the adaptation. The original comic by Neil Gaiman consists of 75 issues, but Goyer said,
“We just ended up burning through story faster than we thought we would.” He noted that many of the comic issues were just 17 pages long. To make a full episode, they often had to combine material from four or five issues.
This accelerated the story timeline. Goyer added,
“When we first went into it, we thought it would be possibly four 10-episode seasons. Now, the first season had 11, the second season is 12.”
Instead of spreading the adaptation over more seasons, they opted to conclude the main storyline in a longer Season 2.
“We just decided, let’s just go for it and take it all the way through The Wake,” Goyer said, referring to the final collection in Gaiman’s comic series.
How Neil Gaiman’s involvement changed in Season 2
Goyer also addressed how Neil Gaiman’s role shifted between the first and second seasons of The Sandman. Gaiman, who authored the original comic, had been actively involved in Season 1. But during Season 2, his involvement decreased.
“I can say, personally, I had never glimpsed any of this,” Goyer said about the misconduct accusations made against Gaiman in the summer of 2024.
At the time, production for The Sandman Season 2 was nearly complete.
“We were three weeks from finishing filming Season 2.”
According to Goyer, the team discussed how to handle the situation after the accusations. He said,
“Netflix, at the time, felt, ‘God, we spent two years making this thing. There’s all these actors and writers and directors involved that, if we didn’t air it, wouldn’t be fully compensated for it.’” Goyer said they decided, “We’re going to let this work speak for itself.”
What’s next for Goyer after The Sandman
Goyer is currently involved in multiple other projects. As of May 2025, he is working on the third season of Foundation, which premieres July 11 on Apple TV+. He also produces Murderbot, another Apple TV+ series currently airing.
Goyer said,
“Season 3 is all about The Mule,” referring to a major storyline in Foundation.
He confirmed that Foundation will not jump centuries between Season 3 and a potential Season 4, saying,
“One might think of Season 3 and Season 4 as one sort of 20-episode season.”
On the topic of Murderbot, Goyer shared that while it hasn’t been officially renewed,
“It’s not guaranteed, but I believe that to be the case.”
He said the team was trying to reach an audience beyond typical science fiction fans:
“What we’re really interested in is branching out beyond people that typically don’t consider themselves fans of science fiction.”
Goyer also has a remake of The Blob in development with director David Bruckner at Warner Bros. and is working on two more projects. He said,
“They’re very, very, very different from Foundation and Murderbot and Sandman. It’s less complicated world-building.”
He did not share further details.
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For now, The Sandman fans can expect the second and final season to complete the story that started with Gaiman’s original work. While a third season was never part of the plan, Goyer left the door open for potential spinoffs.
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