Neil Gaiman's Sandman is having a moment. 2020 brought a successful and star-studded audio drama adaptation, and now the beloved comic is being adapted for Netflix. The show began production in October 2020, filming solely in the United Kingdom due to COVID-19 restrictions, and while there is no release date yet, the cast of the series has finally been made public.
The story follows Dream, one of seven siblings older and more powerful than gods who personify concepts related to life. In 1916, he's captured by magician and charlatan Roderick Burgess and stays imprisoned for the next 105 years. When he finally escapes, he returns to the Dreaming and tries to restore its glory. With that said, here's the list of characters confirmed for the series and the actors who will portray them.
Dream, Lord of the Dreaming (Tom Sturridge)
Known by many names, including Morpheus, Kai'ckul, Oneiros and Sandman, Dream rules over dreams, stories and everything outside of reality. He exists in the Dreaming, a dimension where he can access all of the stories and knowledge in the Omniverse. Dream is very conscious of his responsibilities as one of the Endless and wants very much to understand himself and his siblings, but fails to accept change in any significant way. Sandman follows not only his quest to restore the Dreaming but to help some of his former lovers find peace. In Netflix's The Sandman, the titular character is played by English actor Tom Sturridge, whose most recent roles include Jon in the horror-comedy Velvet Buzzsaw and Jake in Starz's Sweetbitter.
Lucifer, Ruler of Hell (Gwendoline Christie)
A fallen angel who was made the ruler of Hell after his rebellion against God, Lucifer is one of the in-canon creators of the DC Multiverse, though this fact may not factor into the show. He's considered a fearsome ruler, but at the time of The Sandman, he has become bored with ruling Hell and humans' misconceptions about it. In the Netflix adaptation, Lucifer is played by Gwendoline Christie, best known for her roles as Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones and Captain Phasma in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy.
Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong)
In the source material, Lucienne is a male character named Lucien that serves as the Dreaming's head librarian and guardian. He was the only one to try to keep the Dreaming maintained when Roderick Burgess kidnapped Dream and has helped Dream keep the realm organized and taken care of. Dream trusts Lucine, even going as far as to let him oversee the realm when he is away, and sees him as a valuable advisor. The Sandman will see a gender-swapped Lucienne played Vivienne Acheampong, who recently appeared as Alice's Mum in HBO Max's The Witches.
The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook)
Originally created by Dream and ultimately destroyed and resurrected by him, the Corinthian escapes the Dreaming and wants to experience the world. His most notable characteristic is the two small sets of teeth that fill his eye sockets; he can apparently still see and even eats the eyes of his victims. The Corinthian is played in The Sandman by Boyd Holbrook, best known for his roles in Logan, Gone Girl and the Netflix project We Can Be Heroes.
Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance)
Born Morris Burgess Brocklesby in the 1870s, Roderick Burgess founded and acted as Lord Magus of the Order of Ancient Mysteries. He wanted to be known as the greatest magician of his time, and in this pursuit, he attempted to capture Death. Instead, he caught Dream stole his magical items and clothing and imprisoned him in a magic circle in his basement. Though he tried to bargain for immortality, Dream never responded, and as a result, a sleepy sickness covered the world and the Dreaming began to unravel. Burgess would ultimately fail in his pursuit of immortality and died of a heart attack. Netflix's adaptation has found its Burgess in Charles Dance, who has appeared in a slew of TV shows and films, including Game of Thrones, The Crown, Ghostbusters, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and the upcoming The King's Man.
Cain and Abel (Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim Chaudhry)
Just as the story goes in the Bible, Cain murdered his brother Abel. After their actions as the first victim and predator, Dream offered them a place in the Dreaming, and now they serve as dreams, reenacting the murder over and over forever. In The Sandman, Cain is played by Sanjeev Bhaskar, who is best known for his work on Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42, while Abel is portrayed by Asim Chaudhry, who has appeared in popular mockumentaries like People Just Do Nothing and Hoff the Record.
Executive produced and co-written by Neil Gaiman and David S. Goyer, Sandman will be the first-ever live-action adaptation of the Vertigo Comics series. Allan Heinberg will serve as the series' showrunner, executive producer and co-writer.