Comedian Steve Coogan and three Game of Thrones actors — Jack Gleeson, Clive Russell and Laurence O'Fuarain — are among the nine new cast members for Netflix’s fantasy drama series The Sandman Season 2, the streamer announced on Tuesday.
Russell will portray Odin, the father of Thor and blood-brother of Loki. Gleeson will play Puck, a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie. Coogan is the voice of Barnabas, the canine companion of the Endless’s Prodigal brother. O'Fuarain will take on the role of Thor, the god of thunder.
The Sandman is based on the 1989–1996 comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. The story follows Morpheus, the personification of dreams, who is captured in an occult ritual in 1916 and held captive for 106 years. Upon escaping, Dream sets out to restore order to his realm, the Dreaming.
The new characters are drawn from The Sandman collections Seasons of the Mist and Brief Lives.
“The new characters are as powerful as Dream (Tom Sturridge) — nearly as clever — and far more ruthless,” showrunner Allan Heinberg told Netflix's companion site Tudum. “Together, they will ensnare Dream in a web of palace intrigue, glamour and demon battles,” he added.
Other new cast members include The Morning Show star Ruairi O’Connor, Slow Horses actor Freddie Fox, Ann Skelly of Red Rock fame, and Douglas Booth, known for his portrayal of Nikki Sixx in the Netflix biopic The Dirt (2019).
“New faces are entering The Dreaming. Meet The Sandman's Orpheus, Wanda, Nuala, Cluarcan, Loki, Thor, Odin, Puck and Barnabas,” wrote the makers, sharing the cast list on X (formerly Twitter).
O’Connor will play Orpheus, a poet, musician, oracle, and the only child of Dream and the muse Calliope (Melissanthi Mahut). Fox will portray Loki, the god of chaos, Skelly stars as Nuala, and Booth plays Cluracan. Nuala and Cluracan are siblings who are opposites in every way but share a commendable devotion to each other.
The cast also includes Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom actress Indya Moore, who will play Wanda, a professional driver and security agent for an exclusive travel firm.
For Gaiman, the character of Wanda has particular resonance. “Wanda began for me in 1988 because I had trans friends and was not seeing them reflected in the comics I was reading, so I resolved to create a trans woman in a mainstream comic, the first time that had happened,” Gaiman told Tudum. “For over three decades, people have been telling me that she was an inspiration to them. I’m thrilled that, 35 years later, she’s on the screen in all her glory,” he added.
“In the next chapter of The Sandman, the King of Dreams will come face-to-face — and go toe-to-toe — with the formidable rulers of Hell, Asgard, Faerie, and the realms beyond,” Heinberg told Tudum about the upcoming instalment of the show.
Other Endless family members joining Dream (Sturridge) in Season 2 include Adrian Lester as Destiny, Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium and Barry Sloane as The Prodigal.
These new additions round out the Endless family, which includes Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Mason Alexander Park as Desire and Donna Preston as Despair, all returning from Season 1.
Additional returning cast members include Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Jenna Coleman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Stephen Fry, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Vanesu Samunyai and Razane Jammal.
Developed and executive produced by Heinberg, David S. Goyer and Gaiman, the first season of the fantasy series debuted on Netflix in 2022.
