The Sandman: Neil Gaiman Reveals When They Decided to Make the Surprise Episode

Netflix surprised fans of The Sandman with the release of an unexpected new episode last week with the episode featuring an animated adaptation of “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” from The Sandman #18 and a live-action adaptation of “Calliope” from The Sandman #17. As one might guess, fans were delighted with the episode, something a bit unusual for Netflix which tends to stream everything of a season at the same time leading many to wonder exactly when the special episode entered the conversation whilst making the series. As it turns out, it’s something that producer David S. Goyer had in mind from the start.

“It was David Goyer’s suggestion. but we immediately embraced it,” Gaiman told EW. “We were just about to pitch the show to streaming platforms, and the decision was made that we were going to be pitching 11 episodes. We would do 10 episodes and then there would be an 11th, a special that no one would know about. That’s what everyone knew they were buying. It also meant we could begin the process for those stories very, very early on.”

Both stories in the special episode stars Tom Sturridge as Dream with the rest of the guest voice cast for “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” including Sandra Oh as “The Prophet,” Rosie Day as “The Tabby Kitten,” David Gyasi as “The Grey Cat,” Joe Lycett as “The Black Cat,” Neil Gaiman as “Crow/Skull Bird,” James McAvoy (who voices Dream in Audible’s The Sandman audio adaptation) as “Golden-Haired Man,” David Tennant as “Don” and Georgia Tennant as “Laura Lynn,” Michael Sheen as “Paul” and Anna Lundberg as “Marion,” Nonso Anozie as “Wyvern,” Diane Morgan as “Gryphon,” Tom Wu as “Hippogriff.” The story is directed by Hisko Hulsing. 

“Calliope”, which tells the story of a muse who has a history with Dream, is directed by Louise Hooper and its guest cast includes Melissanthi Mahut as “Calliope,” Arthur Darvill as “Richard Madoc,” Nina Wadia as “Fate Mother,” Souad Faress as “Fate Crone,” Dinita Gohil as “Fate Maiden,” Kevin Harvey as “Larry,” Amita Suman as “Nora,” and Derek Jacobi as “Erasmus Fry.” 

The overall episode itself is standalone, meaning that viewers can jump in and watch it without having watched the full 10-episode season and that may well be something that viewers are doing. The series has jumped back into the top spot for Netflix after the release of the episode after having fallen recently with the new season of Never Have I Ever and the new limited series of Echoes moving in instead.

The Sandman has been well received by critics, earning a 4-out-of-5 review from ComicBook.com: “While purists may bemoan some of the changes, they ultimately make for a more cohesive viewing experience that still allows the individual short stories within the grander saga the room needed for viewers to fully appreciate them. The Sandman team has taken Dream’s comics and crafted a worthy adaptation of a story that is, after all, about how we take the stuff of dreams and apply it to our lives, our art, and our relationships. And after seeing that tease at the end of Season 1, viewers will almost certainly be dreaming of what comes next.”  

The Sandman is now streaming on Netflix.