Outside of Alan Moore’s Watchmen, the graphic novel considered the holy grail is Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. That story is coming to Netflix, and Gaiman just announced some major casting news.
This Netflix original series is a live-action release, and while the cast will never reach the level of the recent audio release, there are some impressive names on the list.
The Sandman hit Audible earlier this year with names like James McAvoy as Morpheus, Kat Dennings as his sister Death, 2021 Oscar-nominee Riz Ahmed as The Corinthian, and Taron Egerton as John Constantine.
Now, Netflix viewers are learning who will play these live-action roles.
The Sandman cast fills out for Netflix
Neil Gaiman wrote an article for Netflix’s blog about the new Sandman cast and it has some fun names.
First up, Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Killing Eve), has signed on to play Death.
Possibly even more than Morpheus himself, Death was the breakout character in The Sandman series, a very different version of Death, one with a polite disposition that helps people transition to the other side, rather than a foreboding and fearful figure.
Morpheus, known as Dream of the Eternals, has other siblings and Gaiman listed two more in this casting announcement. Non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park stars as Desire and Donna Preston is Despair.
Patton Oswalt, who just voiced M.O.D.O.K. in the Hulu Marvel series, will voice Matthew the Raven, while Stephen Fry will play Gilbert, David Thewlis is John Dee, and Jenna Coleman is Johanna Constantine.
The other recent additions include Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall, Joely Richardson as Ethel Cripps, Niamh Walsh as young Ethel Cripps, Kyo Ra as Rose Walker, and Sandra James Young as Unity Kincaid.
The rest of Sandman’s cast
Netflix already set the main cast of The Sandman, with these recent additions filling in key roles.
Tom Sturridge will play Dream/Morpheus as the lead in the series. Gwendolyn Christie is Lucifer, who fans also met in the Tom Ellis Lucifer series based on the Sandman’s version of the character.
Sanjeev Bhaskar and Amid Chaudry are Cain and Abel, Charles Dance is Roderick Burgess, Vivienne Acheampong is Lucienne, and Boyd Holbrook is The Corinthian.
Here is Gaiman’s synopsis of The Sandman on Netflix:
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.
The Sandman’s premiere date on Netflix is still TBD.