What to know
Season 1 of The Sandman is a fantasy horror series produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. for Netflix. The series is based on the groundbreaking comic book of the same name written by Neil Gaiman, who also developed this TV adaptation. Gaiman is an acclaimed and hugely popular writer whose works often serve as inspiration for film and television. Previous adaptations of his writing include American Gods, Stardust, and Coraline.
Starring as Morpheus is Tom Sturridge. The actor was the top choice for the role but wasn’t hired right away. Gaiman and his team poured over thousands of auditions from around the world during an unusually long casting process. In fact, Sturridge was paid to not take on any other work while the development team for The Sandman completed their search. Gwendoline Christie joins Sturridge in the series as Lucifer Morningstar. Although originally a male character in the comics, Neil Gaiman chose the former Game of Thrones actress for the part.
In addition to Tom Sturridge and Gwendoline Christie, many other characters are featured in The Sandman. These include Boyd Holbrook as Corinthian, Asim Chaudry as Abel, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, and Mason Alexander Park as Desire. Patton Oswalt voices the character of Matthew the Raven, Morpheus’ emissary, and Mark Hamill is the voice of Mervyn Pumpkinhead, a cigar-smoking scarecrow with the head of a jack-o’-lantern. The Sandman was released on Netflix on August 5th, 2022.