Netflix has named the headline cast for its adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed comic book series, The Sandman. Protagonist Dream will be played by Tom Sturridge, whose latest role was in the 2019 film Velvet Buzzsaw alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. Joining Sturridge as top-billed cast members are Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Star Wars) as (typically male) Lucifer and Vivienne Acheampong (The Witches) as Lucienne (not Lucien), Librarian of the Dreaming.
Rounding out the cast announced today for the Netflix Sandman series are veteran actor Charles Dance, comedians Asim Chaudhry and Sanjeev Bhaskar, and Narcos star Boyd Holbrook.
The Sandman comics follow the immortal Dream, also known as Morpheus, as he seeks to rebuild his kingdom in the modern day following a lengthy imprisonment. The series received widespread acclaim.
Speaking about the announcement, Gaiman shared the following:
For the last thirty-three years, the Sandman characters have breathed and walked around and talked in my head. I’m unbelievably happy that now, finally, they get to step out of my head and into reality. I can’t wait until the people out there get to see what we’ve been seeing as Dream and the rest of them take flesh, and the flesh belongs to some of the finest actors out there. This is astonishing, and I’m so grateful to the actors and to all of The Sandman collaborators — Netflix, Warner Bros., DC, to Allan Heinberg and David Goyer, and the legions of crafters and geniuses on the show — for making the wildest of all my dreams into reality.
Gaiman is on board to write the series alongside Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) and David S. Goyer (Vader Immortal, Batman v Superman).
