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The Sandman Season 2: "Season of Mists," "Brief Lives" Roles Cast

Netflix rolled out casting news for Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg & David S. Goyer's The Sandman "Season of Mists"/"Brief Lives" storylines.

After introducing us to more of The Endless back in May, Netflix had some major casting news to drop for the second season of Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer's live-action adaptation of Gaiman's The Sandman. Now, we've got some major casting news to cast along that will definitely be of interest to "Season of Mists" and "Brief Lives" lovers – including Ruairi O'Connor as Orpheus, the son of Tom Sturridge's Morpheus/Dream. "Each of these characters is as powerful as Dream — nearly as clever — and far more ruthless," shared Heinberg. "Together, they will ensnare Dream in a web of palace intrigue, glamour, demon battles, and spider sex. None of which Dream is prepared for; all of which transform him into a far more dangerous Dream of the Endless." Here's a look at who's set to play who during the second season:

Ruairi O'Connor (The Morning Show, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) is Orpheus, a poet, musician, oracle, and the only child of Dream and the muse, Calliope (last seen in The Sandman, Episode 11). Orpheus is an idealistic, romantic young man — and very much his father's son — until tragedy strikes and reveals to him the true nature of love.

Freddie Fox (The Great, Slow Horses, The Gentlemen) is Loki, the god of chaos. Loki is a charming, seductive shape-shifter. The smartest and most dangerous person in any room, Loki is utterly irresistible and never to be trusted.

Clive Russell (The Cursed, Sherlock Holmes, Game of Thrones) plays Odin, the father of Thor and blood-brother of Loki. He is a longtime ally of Dream's, but finds himself driven to desperate extremes in his efforts to stave off Ragnarök.

Laurence O'Fuarain (The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Gentlemen) is Thor, the storm god. With his hammer, Mjollnir, Thor is brusque, rude, and driven entirely by his appetites for food and drink, battle, and sex.

Ann Skelly (The Nevers, Death and Nightingales, Red Rock) is Nuala, and Douglas Booth (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Dirt) is Cluracan, royal emissaries from the court of Faerie. Nuala and Cluracan are siblings who are opposites in every way. Nuala is responsible, empathetic, and principled. Cluracan is an impulsive rogue who lives for pleasure. They disagree about everything, except their devotion to each other.

Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones, Sex Education) plays Puck, a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie. Puck is fascinated by mortals and enjoys nothing more than making sport of them for his own amusement. He's also the inspiration for Shakespeare's Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Indya Moore (Queen & Slim, Pose, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) plays Wanda, a professional driver and security agent for an exclusive travel firm. Wanda proves herself to be an indispensable guide on an Endless road trip to the waking world.

Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge, The Trip) is the voice of Barnabas, the canine companion of the Endless's Prodigal brother. Barnabas is loyal and loving, but an outspoken cynic. Meaning, he's both man's best friend and man's sharpest critic.

The newest additions to the second season cast join previously announced castmembers Adrian Lester as Destiny, Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium, and Barry Sloane as The Prodigal – joining The Endless cast that includes the returning Kirby as Death, Mason Alexander Park as Desire, and Donna Preston as Despair.

The Sandman: Neil Gaiman Teases Season 2

Back in November 2023, Gaiman penned a note to fans around the world to recognize the graphic novel's 35th anniversary & to confirm that production on Season 2 would resume this week. "This week, we officially restart production on the next sequence of stories of 'The Sandman' for Netflix. Genius showrunner Allan Heinberg and the countless people in front of and behind the camera are building something endlessly special and bringing these stories to life in a way that would once have been unimaginable," Gaiman shared (with the full note below).

As for where the story is heading, Gaiman ended with some teases that we're sure will fan the "speculation flames" of the folks who haven't read the comics. "A journey is beginning that will take us from Destiny's garden to Hell, from the Heart of the Dreaming to Ancient Greece and revolutionary France, and from there to places even I cannot quite imagine on the screen," Gaiman penned. "I will be patient. Good things are coming." Here's a look at the full letter that Gaiman penned to commemorate today being the 35th anniversary of the first issue of The Sandman and how that adds meaning to production on the second season resuming:

We never know where our dreams will take us. Thirty-five years ago today, the first issue of The Sandman was released and set many people and characters on paths that seemed, even at the time, so unlikely as to be impossible. Back then most comics featured superheroes. Sandman wasn't that. It wasn't like anything else, but magically (the magic consisting of hard work, youthful overconfidence, and some key people who believed in the vision) we were given the opportunity to tell the story I had in my head and bring Morpheus and the rest of the Endless to life.

A little over 36 years ago, in October 1987, the worst storm in at least 500 years left my house without power and my family trapped in our little village by fallen trees, and I spent my time writing an outline for the first eight issues of Sandman.

Thirteen months later, in November 1988, the first issue of Sandman hit the comics shops.

Like those who walk a path in Destiny's garden, I look back and see one clear path stretching behind me. At times on this journey the way forward seemed impossible, and I don't think I could have conceived of the impact that these characters would have on individuals or on the world. When I look at the path ahead, though, I don't see darkness. I see how the world of The Sandman continues to grow and evolve and take new forms.

This week we officially restart production on the next sequence of stories of The Sandman for Netflix. Genius showrunner Allan Heinberg and the countless people in front of and behind the camera are building something endlessly special, and bringing these stories to life in a way that would once have been unimaginable.

A journey is beginning that will take us from Destiny's garden to Hell, from the Heart of the Dreaming to Ancient Greece and revolutionary France, and from there to places even I cannot quite imagine on the screen. I will be patient. Good things are coming.

Returning for the second season are 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 Gaiman, Heinberg, and Goyer, the original 11 episodes of the series debuted on Netflix in 2022.

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