Has Neil Gaiman Quietly Stepped Away From The Sandman Season 2?

Neil Gaiman is synonymous with The Sandman, both the DC comics he created and the Netflix series based on them, on which he is an executive producer. Ahead of the show’s 2022 launch, the streamer even released a video playing up Gaiman’s wonder at touring the sets, following him as he marveled at seeing his creations in physical form for the first time.

So when Netflix put out a behind-the-scenes peek at The Sandman Season 2 on Thursday, Gaiman’s absence from the video was notable — particularly in light of recent sexual assault allegations made against the beloved fantasy author.

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On the Tortoise Media podcast Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman, released in early July, a 23-year-old woman accused Gaiman of sexually assaulting her within hours of their first meeting at his New Zealand residence, where she worked as nanny to his child. Gaiman has said that only consensual digital penetration occurred during their three-week relationship.

A second accuser says she was 18 when she met Gaiman at a book signing, then began a relationship with him at age 20, during which she submitted to “rough and painful” sex that “she neither wanted nor enjoyed.” Gaiman denied any unlawful behavior.

Another two women have since come forward with their own allegations, all of which Gaiman denies and says he is “disturbed” by.

TVLine hears that Gaiman is still contractually an executive producer on The Sandman. His name, however, is conspicuously absent from the streamer’s official writeup of the new season.

TVLine has reached out to Gaiman and Netflix for comment.

Earlier in September, our sister site Deadline reported that Gaiman offered to step back from Season 3 of Prime Video’s Good Omens, a series on which he serves as showrunner, executive producer and writer. The series is based on Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, which Gaiman wrote with Sir Terry Pratchett. Per Deadline, no final decisions had been made about Gaiman’s involvement in that show’s third and final season, which is slated to begin production in early 2025.

Amazon declined to comment for this story.

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