Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic, The Sandman, was hugely successful when it premiered in summer 2022. Chronicling the trials and tribulations of Dream (Tom Sturridge) across his vast existence, ruling over the domain we all enter when we sleep, the show will officially return for more episodes based on multiple comic volumes.
With a reported eight episodes, season 2 started filming in June 2023. But, of course, the production has been put on pause due to the ongoing WGA writer’s strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike throughout Hollywood.
Before filming was stopped, we got our first glimpse of new and returning cast members, giving us insight into the stories the new season is covering.
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New and Rumored Cast Members in The Sandman Season 2
Indya Moore as Wanda
Before filming was halted due to the strikes, fans could see some sneaky footage. One behind-the-scenes photo shows Pose star Indya Moore on set alongside Tom Sturridge and Kirby Howell-Baptiste.
Fans have been wondering which character Moore is portraying. So far, the most popular theory is Wanda. Moore is transgender and non-binary, much like the character of Wanda.
This casting is to be officially confirmed by Netflix.
⏳ Indya Moore has been cast in Netflix’s The Sandman season 2, role currently unknown. [Via. @MailOnline] pic.twitter.com/HPqAQpjbTu
— Sandman News (@SandmanNews) July 6, 2023
Ruairi O’Connor as Orpheus
We’ve also spotted Orpheus on set too, although the name of the actor has yet to be revealed. Some fans have pointed out that the actor appears to be Ruairi O’Connor — we’ll have to wait for Netflix to confirm this. Either way, he looks perfectly cast.
Amber Rose Revah (Character unknown)
Amber Rose Revah
Most recently, Redanian Intelligence revealed that Marvel’s The Punisher star Amber Rose Revah has joined the cast for season 2. The news is backed up by looking at her Spotlight CV, where Sandman features in her works. Her role is currently under wraps. Some of the most popular theories suggest that she could portray Titania or Eurydice. Let’s wait and see!
This casting has not been confirmed by Netflix yet.
Charlotte Bate (Character unknown)
Per her profile on The Artist’s Partnership, Charlotte Bates has joined the cast of season 2. Her role is unknown, although her profile lists her character as Tally; a name unfamiliar to fans of the comics. Chances are this character could be completely original to the show, or the name listed is a placeholder name. Fans can already visualise her as Persephone.
Bates’ TV roles include the recurring part of Michelle in Casualty and Bea in Beaumont. She also featured in I Think We’re Alone Now (2021).
This casting has not been confirmed by Netflix yet.
Daphne Alexander (Character unknown)
Incidentally, Daphne Alexander has previously worked on Casualty like her new co-star Charlotte Bate. According to Redanian Intelligence, her character’s name is Bromie, although this could well be a codename as the name doesn’t appear in the Sandman comics. She has had credits in a number of films over the years, most notably Sergeant (2023) and Milnore (2023).
This casting has not been confirmed by Netflix yet.
Esme Creed-Miles (Character unknown)
Esme Creed-Miles is the daughter of Samantha Morton, who voiced Urania Blackwell in Audible’s The Sandman comic book. The 23-year-old actress has credits in HANNA and Dark Life (2017). No roles have been revealed yet, but she appears to be a perfect option for Delirium. Only time will tell.
We have reached out to Independent Talent Group who did not respond for a request to comment.
This casting has not been confirmed by Netflix yet.
Barry Sloane as Destruction
According to a report from Redanian Intelligence, The Bay and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare star Barry Sloane has been cast in the role of Destruction in The Sandman season 2. Destruction is one of the seven siblings in the Endless. But unlike the others in his family, he abandoned his post and now lives a quiet and peaceful life in the countryside. He is set to play a key role in the new season.
This casting has not been confirmed by Netflix yet.
Returning Cast Members for The Sandman Season 2
Tom Sturridge (Dream)
The Sandman – Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Let’s start with the obvious. Yes, Tom Sturridge will return as the titular Morpheus, the Dream Lord, in new episodes of The Sandman. Sturridge has been spotted on set filming new episodes before the show’s production was shut down due to the WGA writer’s strike and the more recent actor’s strike.
The images, shared by Mail Online, show Sturridge filming what appears to be the story “The Song of Orpheus” from the comics.
Moreover, a more recent capture shows him filming a funeral scene alongside Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death).
Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death)
Kirby Howell-Baptiste only made one appearance in The Sandman season one. However, in just half an episode, she made a pretty big impression.
In “The Sound of Her Wings,” Death met with her brother Dream and made him join her as she went about her duties, accompanying people to the afterlife. It was heartfelt and immensely touching, proving to be one of the highlights of the series. And later in the episode, she granted Hob Gadling (Ferdinand Kingsley) eternal life, so that Dream could see how he fares over the centuries.
Looking at the comics, it’s fair to say that her role will be more significant. In fact, Kirby Howell-Baptiste is one of the few actors that we’ve seen on set filming the new season, looking as cool as ever:
Kirby Howell-Baptiste is the coolest person in the world. Fact. #TheSandman pic.twitter.com/35dcrLpFsZ
— Sandman News (@SandmanNews) July 6, 2023
Gwendoline Christie (Lucifer)
Despite not being spotted on set yet, Gwendoline Christie’s Lucifer will play a major part in the new season. Without getting into spoilers, the entire volume “Season of Mists” takes place due to Lucifer’s actions.
In the final scene of season one, Lucifer vowed to take revenge on Morpheus their battle in which the Dream Lord reclaimed his helm. Lucifer promised to “bring him to his knees” after seemingly hatching a plan with Azazel.
Mason Alexander Park (Desire) and Donna Preston (Despair)
While their roles aren’t exactly crucial in the stories covered in season 2, Mason Alexander Park’s Desire and Donna Preston’s Despair will certainly make a few appearances.
Perhaps the most exciting upcoming Desire scene of all comes in the beginning of the “Season of Mists” story arc. In the prologue, Destiny calls an Endless family meeting, and Desire causes a whole lot of chaos at the dinner table.
Speaking to Winter Is Coming about their hopes for the new season; Mason cited the Endless family meeting as one of their most anticipated scenes. “I’m really looking forward to many moments in the comics, but seeing the family together for the first time in “Season of Mists” is super exciting to me,” they said. “There’s something very Succession about the whole thing, and who doesn’t want to be the person making all the fuss at a dinner party!”
In addition, we can expect Despair’s appearance to change slightly in the new season. Neil Gaiman previously hinted that the team may have missed the mark with her appearance, which included a tatty brown shirt and crocs. “Mostly, what I hope is that the next time you see Despair on the screen you won’t think of her as frumpy, depressed and unloved,” he wrote on Tumblr. “She isn’t in the comics, and I think we missed what we were aiming for in Sandman season 1.”
Neither Mason Alexander Park nor Donna Preston have not been spotted on set yet, but we’ll let you know as seen as we get a glimpse. Watch this space!
Vivienne Acheampong (Lucienne)
Pictures: Netflix
Lucienne, a twist on the male character Lucien in the comics, proved to be a clear fan favorite in season 1. A librarian and Dream’s most trusted advisor, Lucienne is loyal and trustworthy, and is not afraid to confront her boss at times.
Similar to season one, Lucienne is expected to make several appearances throughout the new episodes as a series regular.
Funnily enough, Acheampong wants in on the iconic “Endless meeting” scene, despite her character not appearing in it in the comics. “If the Endless had a family get-together, I’d love Lucienne to just be there, being like, ‘Guys, I’ve come to be a mediator, mentor, whatever you need me to be,’ But I would just love to see all those siblings together, I think it would be incredible,” she told EW.
Mervyn Pumpkinhead (Mark Hamill)
Mark Hamill as Mervyn Pumpkinhead was one of the most surprising castings in the show. As the resident janitor of the Dreaming, it’s Merv’s job to keep the kingdom in good shape. He’s not afraid to speak his mind either. Despite being a sentient pumpkin, he is presented as a voice of reason and sanity amongst all the craziness.
Again, like Lucienne, we can expect Mervyn to pop up every now and again. A large portion of the Season of Mists storyline takes place in Dream’s palace, where he gets lots of visitors, so we’ll probably see Lucienne and Merv getting very stressed out!
Patton Oswalt (Matthew the Raven)
Speaking of voice work, Patton Oswalt will no doubt return to the recording booth to voice Matthew the Raven, Dream’s loyal messenger raven.
Cain (Sanjeev Bhaskar) and Abel (Asim Chaudhry)
Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Based on the biblical characters, Cain and Abel are very much comic relief characters in Sandman. Look no further than the numerous times Cain murders Abel, in increasingly gruesome ways. In season one, they made two appearances. Firstly, we saw the death of Gregory and the hatching of Goldie the gargoyle in episode 2. And then later on, they reappeared while Lucienne was performing a census of the Dream Realm.
Looking ahead to when we’ll next see them, they notably put on a magic show for visitors to Dream’s palace. Moreover, there’s no doubt they’ll show up in other scenes, too.
Ferdinand Kingsley (Hob Gadling)
Ferdinand Kingsley will presumably return as Hob Gadling in the new season. In the comics, he makes sporadic appearances throughout the series, so don’t expect anything more than that. Without going into spoiler territory, in Season of Mists, we see Dream meet with Hob once more.
Deborah Oyelade (Nada) and Ernest Kingsley Junior (Kai’ckul)
Nada was an ancient African queen who falls in love with Dream. She makes one brief appearance in season one, in the episode “A Hope in Hell,” in which Morpheus travels to Hell to reclaim his stolen Helm. While travelling to Lucifer’s palace, Dream reunites with Nada (Deborah Oyelade) who is shown to be imprisoned in Hell. She begs him to release her, but he does not. In this scene, Dream is shown as Kai’ckul, played by Ernest Kingsley Junior. Of course, the appearance of the Endless shifts depending on those who see them.
It is currently unclear whether The Sandman season 2 will cover Dream and Nada’s backstory. The story, “Tales in the Sand,” could’ve been covered in season one, given that the comic falls in the beginning of The Doll’s House story arc. Taking into account that the show has already cast Nada and Kai’ckul, the writers seem intent on covering their story in full.
Nada makes further appearances in the Season of Mists story arc, which will be covered in season 2.
Melissanthi Mahut (Calliope)
We already know that season 2 is covering the The Song of Orpheus storyline from the behind-the-scenes photos from filming. This means that Melissanthi Mahut will no doubt reprise her role as Calliope. The character, who is the mother of Orpheus by Dream, is present at his wedding to Eurydice.
Calliope was introduced into The Sandman in episode 11, where she was abused by Erasmus Fry and later Richard Madoc, who used her powers as a Muse to create great stories.
Characters that The Sandman is casting for season 2!
We’ll keep you updated on the latest casting news. While we don’t have a lot so far, The Sandman is officially casting the characters listed below:
- Delirium — Formerly Delight, Delirium is the youngest sister of the Endless. Neil Gaiman has previously confirmed that the character has already been cast.
- Destiny — The eldest of the Endless, Destiny knows everything that has happened and will happen.
- Destruction — Strong and powerful, Destruction is member of the Endless who abandoned his duties and now lives in peace and seclusion.
- Thor — The Norse Storm God, Thor is quick to anger and immensely powerful. You don’t want to pick a fight with him.
- Loki — Loki is the trickster brother of Thor. Don’t underestimate him, you’ll never know what he’s planning.
- Odin — The father of Thor and Loki.
- Auberon — The King of the Fairies.
- Titania — The Queen of the Fairies.
Be sure to keep checking back for casting announcements. We will keep you updated right here!
Rating: TV-MA
