David Tennant, Regé-Jean Page and more join cast of Audible’s The Sandman

Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic about the Lord of Dreams, The Sandman, has been around for over 30 years. Gaiman has rejected several attempts at adaptation, and it wasn’t until recently that one finally moved forward: Netflix is making a big-budget, spectacular live-action adaptation. And then there’s Audible’s New York Times bestselling audio dramatization, which has now announced several more huge names to its already-stacked cast.

The first part of Audible’s The Sandman was released last year. Directed by Dirk Maggs and narrated by Gaiman himself, it featured a huge ensemble cast that included James McAvoy (Dream), Michael Sheen (Lucifer), Kat Dennings (Death), Riz Ahmed (The Corinthian), Andy Serkis (Matthew the Raven), and Taron Edgerton (John Constantine). The gigantic, 11-hour audio experience covered the volumes Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll’s House, and concluded with Dream Country’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

We’ve known for a while that Audible had green-lit not only a second installment of the audio drama but also a third — there’s a lot of comic to get through. However, it wasn’t until this week that we learned how much crazy talent has entered the Dreaming for Act II. Take a look at Gaiman’s announcement tweet, complete with a short video confirming each cast member:

Of course, Neil Gaiman returns as the narrator and Dirk Maggs continues to direct the project. James Hannigan also returns to compose another epic soundtrack. The season covers some of The Sandman‘s greatest tales, including Season of Mists, Distant Mirrors, A Game of You and Convergence.

The voice actors from the first part will reprise their roles. And now, there are several more A-listers in this “Dream” cast. Let’s have a rundown:

• David Tennant plays Loki. Thanks to the MCU’s Loki series, we’ve seen plenty of the Norse God on our screens recently, including an alligator version. Now it’s time for the Good Omens star and former Doctor Who to channel his inner God of Mischief!
• Emma Corrin plays Thessaly. A lover of Dream, Thessaly is a powerful witch. Corrin is best known for her portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales, in The Crown season 4.
• Brian Cox (Succession, Manhunter) has the honor of playing the Roman emperor Ceasar Augustus, a character from issue #30, one of the most beautiful from the entire Sandman series. In the issue, Ceasar Augustus wishes to know what it’s like to be a beggar for a day.
• John Lithgow plays Joshua Norton, the real-life “Emperor of the United States” — seriously, Google him sometime. Dream uses Norton to prove to his sister Despair that she does not exist without the power of dreams.
• Kristen Schaal plays Delirium, another of Dream’s siblings. One of the most beloved characters in the series, Delirium (formerly Delight) is brought to life by The Last Man on Earth star and big Sandman fan Kristen Schaal.
• Kevin Smith plays Mervyn Pumpkinhead. It’s probably no surprise that Smith, known for making movies like Clerks and Dogma, is a massive Sandman fan. The filmmaker and actor is living every Sandman fan’s dream!
• Regé-Jean Page plays Orpheus. The breakout Bridgerton star, who played Simon Basset in the Netflix series, voices Dream’s love-struck son.
• Niamh Walsh plays Nuala. Interestingly, Walsh is the only actress so far to feature in both Netflix’s Sandman live-action adaptation and the audiobook version. In the Netflix series, she plays Young Ethel Cripps. In the audiobook she voices the fairy Nuala.
• Jeffrey Wright plays Destiny, yet another of Dream’s siblings. The Westworld star heads to Destiny’s maze-filled realm as the man who knows everything thanks to a huge tome chained to his wrist.
• Bebe Neuwirth plays Bast. Neuwirth previously provided narration of Gaiman’s work Two Plays for Voices. She also featured in the first season of the Sandman audiobook, voicing the Siamese Cat. Now she voices Bast, the cat-headed goddess from Egyptian myth.
• Joanna Lumley plays Lady Johanna Constantine. Need I say more? Lumley is an absolute star, and I can’t wait to hear how she portrays john Constantine’s ancestor. One might say this casting is “Absolutely Fabulous.”
• Miriam Margolyes plays Despair. We now have our latest member of the Endless. Despair is about as depressing as they come. The 80-year-old actress will no doubt nail Despair’s voice.
• Bill Nighy plays Odin. Appearing in Season of Mists, Odin the All-Father turns up at the Dreaming in an effort to seize the Key to Hell after Lucifer abandons his position. Nighy is no stranger to playing powerful characters, and they don’t come more powerful than Odin!

How about that for a cast? And that’s just for the audiobook adaptation. Netflix’s upcoming live-action version has already revealed much of its insane cast, featuring two former Game of Thrones veterans.

The Sandman Act II releases on Audible on September 22. It’s already available for pre-order here.

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