Neil Gaiman’s adaptation features 11 additional actors, including Stephen Fry and Patton Oswalt who play Gilbert and Matthew.
Netflix’s TV adaptation Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman”, a beloved comic book series, has 12 new cast members. Kirby Howell Baptiste plays the iconic role of Death.
“The Good Place” and the “Killing Eve,” alum will be transformed into Death, the wise sister of Dream of the Endless/Morpheus protagonist in “The Sandman“. (played previously by series star Tom Sturridge).
Netflix’s “The Sandman”, described as “a rich mixture of modern myths and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction and historical drama are seamlessly interwoven”, follows the people, places, and events affected by Morpheus the Dream King as he corrects the cosmic and human mistakes he made throughout his long existence.
Other new additions to Netflix’s “Sandman” cast include Mason Alexander Park as Desire Dream’s sibling, and desire personified; Donna Preston as Despair, Dream’s sister, and the twin of Desire; Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, haunted exorcist and Occult Adventuress for Hire; Niamh Walsh as Young Ethel Cripps, a betrayed and determined young woman seeking to survive; Joely Richardson as Ethel Cripps, Master thief and woman of a thousand identities; David Thewlis as John Dee, Ethel’s son, who is dangerous, insane and on a quest for truth; Kyo Ra as Rose Walker, a young woman on a desperate search for her missing brother, who discovers a connection to Dream that neither of them can escape; Stephen Fry as Gilbert, debonair protector of Rose Walker; Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall, Rose’s best friend, and travel companion; Sandra James Young as Unity Kincaid, heiress and mysterious benefactor; and Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven, Dream’s trusted emissary.
Check out the cast members:
They will join the cast of “Sandman”, which also includes Gwendolyn Chris as Lucifer, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Amid Chaudry playing Cain and Abel respectively, Charles Dance as Roderickburgess, Vivienne Acheampong portraying Lucienne, and Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian.
Based on the DC Comics series, “The Sandman”, Netflix’s original Netflix show, is written and executive produced jointly by Gaiman and Allan Heinberg. Heinberg serves as the showrunner.
The Sandman is based upon my comic book series. The Sandman is a rich mix of dark fantasy and modern myth that seamlessly blends historical drama, legend, and contemporary fiction. It follows Morpheus, The Dream King, and the people and places he touches as he corrects the cosmic and human mistakes he made throughout his long existence.
All of you know that Tom Sturridge is Dream of the Endless, Gwendolyn Chris (she/her), and Sanjeev Bhaskar (he/him), are Cain and Abel respectively, Charles Dance is Roderick Burgess, Vivienne Acheampong is Lucienne, and Boyd Holbrook is The Corinthian.
There are many more parts that I have yet to reveal. It would be fun to tell about some of these parts and their thinking.
DEATH
Dream’s smarter, more thoughtful, and nicer sister. It is significantly more difficult to cast than you might think (well, I thought so anyway). There were hundreds of talented women all over the globe who auditioned. They were brilliant and none of them were wrong. Someone who could tell the truth about Dream on one hand and be the person you want to see when your life is over on the other. We saw Kirby Howell Baptiste’s audition and knew that we had our Death.
DESIRE
Dream’s sister and all you need, wherever you are and whatever you do. The dream can also be troubled by desire. Families can be complicated. We were just beginning to look when Mason Alexander Park (they/them), reached out via Twitter and offered their help. We were delighted when they got the part.
DESPAIR
Dream’s sister, Desire’s twin. She is the End of all hope, the darkest of the Endless. She/he will be played by Donna Preston, and her performance is both chilling and sad. You can feel her pain.
JOHANNA CONSTANTINE
Eighteenth-Century occult adventurer, John Constantine’s great grandmother. She even created her spin-off series after the Sandman character was so popular. She was created to play the same role as John Constantine in the past. We were aware that Johanna would be appearing in the second season. Therefore, when we looked at the first season, we began to wonder what it would look like if Johanna was also present in the future. It was fun, sparkly, and funny. We had already written her script and knew we had to cast her. Jenna Coleman (she/her), gave us Johanna of our dreams: tough, brilliant and tricky, haunted, and most likely doomed.
ETHEL CRIPPS
Roderick Burgess is John Dee’s lover, and this role is vital, but it became more significant as we told our story. She is played by Niamh Walsh (she/her), a young, determined woman who seeks to survive in the 1920s and 1930s. She/her is now a woman with a hundred identities and a thousand falsehoods. Joely Richardson plays her.
JOHN DEE
Ethel’s dangerous son. He has driven mad long ago. He’s now on a quest to find Truth, which may endanger the entire world. We needed an actor that could both break your heart and draw you into the darkest corners of the world. David Thewlis (he/him), was the lucky actor who took on the role.
We are currently filming The Doll’s House. This is the second major Sandman storyline. It’s the story:
ROSE WALKER
She is a young woman who searches desperately for her missing brother. She finds a family that she didn’t know she had and a connection with Dream that neither can escape. As she travels to dangerous and unfamiliar places, we needed someone young who could care for her. Boyd Holbrook’s Corinthian awaits her, after all. Kyo Ra (she/her), achieves the same as Rose.
LYTA HALL
Rose is Rose’s friend and a young widow who is grieving the loss of her husband Hector. Rose is unaware that Hector has been appearing in Lyta’s dreams. Or that strange things are occurring. Razane Jammal (she/her), is Lyta. She’s amazing.
UNITY KINKAID
Rose’s mysterious benefactor and heiress. She’s been asleep for a century. She’s now awake and enjoying her life. Sandra James Young played her (she/her).
GILBERT
Rose Walker’s protector debonair Rose Walker’s GILBERT. A dab hand with a paradox and a sword cane. Stephen Fry (he/him), is a National Treasure. We sometimes forget that he’s also an extraordinary actor. I was captivated by his costume and makeup on the dailies. It was almost as if the comic had come alive to me.
MATTHEW
Dream’s trusted emissary. A raven. I was expecting our animals to be CGI. When the dailies began coming in, I was both surprised and delighted to see that Dream was talking to… a raven. Ravens can’t talk. We had to ask ourselves if we could find an actor who could make us care about a deceased person who was now a bird of the Dreaming. One who doesn’t know what’s happening or if this is a good idea. Could we also find a voice actor who could make Sandman fans stand in line for their Sandman comics signed? We could if we just asked Patton Oswalt (he/him). Patton Oswalt was our first contact and the first person that we asked the day before we pitched The Sandman on Netflix.
There are many more surprises and horrors than what I have listed, and there are still more to come. I cannot wait to see what you are doing.