It's almost as surreal as Neil Gaiman's original storytelling style to announce that The Sandman, his popular comic book, has finally been released following a lengthy wait for a screen adaptation. It's easy to see why Tom Sturridge is playing the main guy from one of the most fervently anticipated new DC TV series. Allow us to inform you about the rest of the Sandman cast.
Tom Sturridge (Dream)
Tom Sturridge's second Netflix role is as Dream the lead hero of The Sandman, after appearing in 2019's strange mystery thriller Velvet Buzzsaw, which was a departure from his previous films, such as the 2004 adaptation of Gullivers Travels. The British actor made his screen acting debut in a 1996 miniseries adaptation of Sweetbitter with Ella Purnell, and in the HBO Maxs Irma Vep miniseries with Alicia Virkander.
Patton Oswalt (Matthew The Raven)
Patton Oswalt, an Emmy-winning comedian who played Hulus in Pixars Oscar-winning Ratatouille, is well-known for his portrayal of The Deeps in the end-credit scene.
Boyd Holbrook (The Corinthian)
Boyd Holbrook, who plays a shady U.S. Embassy employee in Netflix's Beckett cast, has also appeared in the 2018 fourth installment of the Predator movies and the recent, critically acclaimed horror film The Cursed.
David Thewlis (John Dee)
The other prominent comic book actor (specifically of the DC movies variety) who plays another threatening Sandman character named John Dee is Wonder Woman and RED 2 star David Thewlis, who's better-known literary fantasy character (out of the many other examples to choose from) is Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter films. He has previously worked with Netflix for his reunion with Anomalisa creator Charlie Kaufman on Im Thinking of Ending Things, as well as its spin-off, Human Resources.
Gwendoline Christie (Lucifer)
Gwendoline Christie makes an inspired choice as Captain Phasma in the Star Wars films, although this devil isn't inherently evil; this is also something of a charmer. Most recently, David Copperfield's Personal History as Jane Murdstone
Charles Dance (Roderick Burgess)
Charles Dance, a former Game of Thrones cast member, plays the dreams' accidental captor and scheming magician Roderick Burgess, which is far from the English, Emmy-nominated thespians' first villain role. The Imitation Game star played Arnold Schwarzenegger in the underrated 1990s action comedy, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and played ruthless media magnate William Randolph Hearst in David Finchers Mank.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death)
Roderick Burgess initially intended to trap his sister, Death, played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste in The Sandman, as well as other morbidly funny series like HBO's Barry, Killing Eve on AMC, and the holiday horror comedy Silent Night.
Jenna Coleman (Johanna Constantine)
Jenna Coleman makes her appearance in the popular comic book adaptation of Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011 - Me Before You. Victorian period dramas such as PBS Victoria, in which she plays the royal title role, are usually the British actors' bread and butter.
Vivienne Acheampong (Lucienne)
Vivienne Acheampong plays Lucienne, a librarian responsible for guarding the Dreams realm. She has previously starred in the 2015 horror comedy film The Trap, and her last Netflix original series was The One imported from the United Kingdom in 2021.
Mason Alexander Park (Desire)
Mason Alexander Park is already a well-known name in the theater after starring in Netflix's live-action Cowboy Bebop series The Legend of Vox Machina and lending their voice to Amazon Primes The Legend of Vox Machina.
Donna Preston (Despair)
Donna Preston has the unusual reputation of appearing briefly in several action comedy films including, but most particularly, The Hitmans Bodyguard. The British writer and comedian has a starring role on Netflix's UK sitcom, Hard Cell, and can say she is a part of the Wizarding World following an uncredited role as a circus performer in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Sanjeev Bhaskar (Cain)
Sanjeev Bhaskar, a British actor best-known for playing Hamish Patels father in 2019's Yesterday, as well as brief roles in the popular fantasy comedy Paddington 2, led by Simon Pegg.
Asim Chaudhry (Abel)
As an onscreen brother, Sanjeev Bhaskar, who is also a loyal dream realm resident, Wonder Woman 1984 and the funny Peacock exclusive crime series, Hitmen, are all UK actors' first comic book adaptations.
Vanesu Samunyai (Rose Walker)
Vanesu Samunyai is playing Rose Walker, a young woman who discovers a strange connection to Dream while searching for her missing brother. Kyo Ra, an English actor of Zimbabwean descent, is making her debut in Netflix's The Sandman cast.
Razane Jammal (Lyta Hall)
Razane Jammal, a British-Lebanese actor and model who plays Lyta Hall, a friend of Roses who is also mourning the death of her husband, last starred in a supernatural Netflix-exclusive drama called Paranormal in 2020. She also previously starred alongside Boyd Holbrook in A Walk Among the Tombstones in 2014 and, the previous year, with legendary horror filmmaker Tobe Hooper in Djinn.
Stephen Fry (Gilbert)
Gilbert, the protector of Rose Walkers, is played by Stephen Fry, who was previously known for 2005's V for Vendetta, one of his many notable literary adaptations, including A Fish Called Wanda, and 2011s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as Mycroft, the titular detective's brother. He also co-created and starred in Netflix's hit coming-of-age romance Heartstopper.
Sandra James-Young (Unity Kincaid)
Sandra James-Young made her acting debut in the romantic 1994 crime thriller Captives, alongside Tim Roth and Julia Ormond, before leading an impressive television career. Some of her notable small screen credits include long-running British soap operas like Coronation Street, Doctors, and EastEnders, as well as a new HBO series based on a popular literary fantasy called His Dark Materials.
Joely Richardson (Ethel Cripps)
Joely Richardson, a well-known British actor who plays Julia McNamara in the Nip/Tuck cast, is playing Ethel Cripps, the lover of Roderick Burgess and mother of John Dee. These are just a few of the many other work that she has done with The Sandman.
Niamh Walsh (Young Ethel Cripps)
Niamh Walsh, who played Greta Kleinschmidt on Good Omens and voiced Nuala on a podcast drama also based on The Sandman, is another Neil Gaiman adaptation veteran. Other notable TV credits include the long-running British medical drama Holby City, the historical drama Jamestown, the Netflix exclusive sports miniseries The English Game, and the Peacock exclusive mystery thriller Smother.
By downloading Season 1 of Netflix now, I cannot remember the last time we saw a television series this large.