Netflix has begun revealing the cast for its adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s beloved comic seriesThe Sandman.Although production has already started, the casting news was kept under wraps until now, with Neil Gaiman often teasing the announcement on twitter.
The titular Sandman, also known as Dream or Morpheus, is being played byTony-nominated actor Tom Sturridge. Dream is the personification of all dreams and stories and lord of the realm of The Dreaming. At the beginning ofThe Sandmanhe escapes after being held in captivity by humans for decades and returns to his realm to figure out how to go forward in his immortal life. Dream is one of the Endless, a family of personifications of natural forces. There has been no casting announced for any other of the Endless, but Neil Gaiman says there are more casting reveals to come.
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Vivienne Acheampong, recently seen inThe Witches, has been cast as Lucienne, trusted librarian of the Dreaming, Dream’s realm.Game of Thrones’Gwendoline Christie has been cast as Lucifer, the ruler of Hell. Lucifer is one of the most powerful beings in the DC universe and is a supporting character inThe Sandman.FellowGame of Thronesstar Charles Dancewill be playing Roderick Burgess a blackmailer, charlatan, and magician who succeeds in capturing Dream.
Actor Boyd Holbrook has been cast as The Corinthian, a nightmare once created by Dream who has rows of teeth for eyes. Rounding out the casting announcement are Asim Chaudry as Abel and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain, described as “the first victim” and “the first predator” respectively. Cain and Abel reside in the realm of Dreaming. Both actors are comedians, suggesting the dark comic nature of their existence and relationship will be maintained.
This is the first major television adaptation ofThe Sandman. In 2020, an audiobook ofThe Sandmanwas released on Audible to great acclaim. It did not have the same cast as the television series, starringX-Men’s James McAvoyas Dream, Riz Ahmed as The Corinthian, and Michael Sheen as Lucifer. The success of the audiobook, which Neil Gaiman was heavily involved with just as he is the television show, inspired more excitement for the Netflix series.
Neil Gaiman is no stranger to adaptations of his works. His collaboration with author Sir Terry Pratchett,Good Omens,was adapted into a mini-serieson Amazon Prime in 2019 and was extremely well received. His novelAmerican Godsiscurrently running as a TV serieson the Starz network, and the comic seriesLuciferhas run on Fox and Netflix for five seasons. His bookStardustand short storiesCoralineandHow To Talk To Girls at Partieshave all received big screen adaptations.
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