‘The Sandman’ Cast Announced

Neil Gaiman has had some of his stories adapted before, but fans always came back to this question: “What about The Sandman?” Warner Bros. Television and Netflix announced the series, based on the DC Comics/Vertigo comic, about 18 months ago. Fans have been starving for an update, and we finally got one.

Netflix has announced the cast for The Sandman, which you can see pictured above. They are:

• TOM STURRIDGE is DREAM, Lord of the Dreaming

• GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE is LUCIFER, Ruler of Hell

• VIVIENNE ACHEAMPONG is LUCIENNE, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm

• BOYD HOLBROOK is THE CORINTHIAN, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store

• CHARLES DANCE is RODERICK BURGESS, Charlatan, blackmailer and magician

• ASIM CHAUDHRY is ABEL and SANJEEV BHASKAR is CAIN, the first victim and the first predator, residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm.

Given all of the attempts to adapt The Sandman in the past, this almost didn’t feel real until this casting announcement. I’m particularly interested in what Christie will be able to bring to the Lucifer character. Just so fans are prepared, this will be a very different version from the one you have seen from Tom Ellis on Netflix. My only thought is, I wonder if this means we won’t see Death until a potential second season? Given how popular the character is, I kind of expected them to sneak her in.

Gaiman himself talked about finally seeing these characters brought to life: “For the last thirty-three years, the Sandman characters have breathed and walked around and talked in my head. I’m unbelievably happy that now, finally, they get to step out of my head and into reality. I can’t wait until the people out there get to see what we’ve been seeing as Dream and the rest of them take flesh, and the flesh belongs to some of the finest actors out there. This is astonishing, and I’m so grateful to the actors and to all of The Sandman collaborators — Netflix, Warner Bros., DC, to Allan Heinberg and David Goyer, and the legions of crafters and geniuses on the show — for making the wildest of all my dreams into reality.”

We already knew who would be joining Gaiman as producer and showrunner for the series. Not much has been revealed about the story to this point. The logline given today doesn’t offer a ton of clarity: “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.”

If you’re waiting on a release date, I think it’s going to be a while. So just bask in the glory of this casting news for now, and hopefully, it won’t be too many more sleeps until we find that out. Keep checking back for updates.

Photos provided by Netflix