‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Adds Nine New Characters!!

The Dreaming is getting quite crowded ahead of the release of The Sandman Season 2. Netflix has unveiled nine new cast members who are set to join their beloved Neil Gaiman adaptation in its second go-around following the additions of Esmé Creed-Miles, Adrian Lester, and Barry Sloane back in May. Included among the latest bunch are pivotal characters that greatly expand Dream’s world, including his and Calliope’s only son Orpheus, played by The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It alum Ruairi O’Connor. While the idealistic poet, musician, and oracle’s presence was revealed by previously released episode titles, other new characters confirm a few rumors and set up some beloved storylines from the comics.

This season will also welcome three Norse gods, with The Gentlemen stars Laurence O’Fuarain and Freddie Fox embodying Thor and Loki, and Sherlock Holmes‘s Clive Russell becoming Odin. The trio couldn’t be more different, with Thor described as the brusque and rude thunder god driven almost entirely by his appetites, Loki as the smart, seductive, and immensely dangerous trickster, and Odin as the more level-headed, trusted ally of Dream, but they’ll likely have a common goal of stopping Ragnarök in Season 2. The episode title “Season of Mists” undoubtedly refers to the beloved arc of the same name in which they’re introduced in Gaiman‘s comics. Other new additions include Ann Skelly and Douglas Booth as faerie emissary siblings Nuala and Cluracan, Jack Gleeson as King Auberon’s malevolent hobgoblin jester Puck, Indya Moore as professional driver and security agent Wanda, and Steve Coogan as the voice of Barnabas, Destruction’s cynical canine companion.

All nine additions bolster what was already an ensemble packed with star power, with Tom Sturridge leading the series as Dream alongside Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Mason Alexander Park as Desire, and Donna Preston as Despair. Also returning in Season 2 are Patton Oswalt, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Jenna Coleman, Razane Jammal, Asim Chaudhry, Stephen Fry, Ferdinand Kingsley, Sanjeev Bhaskar, and Vanesu Samunyai. They’ll all take part in Gaiman’s dark fantasy story as it looks to answer lingering questions from Season 1, which sent Dream on a journey across worlds throughout worlds and timelines to repair the damage done while he was captured.

‘The Sandman World Has Expanded on Netflix

The road to The Sandman Season 2 has been a long one. Netflix took their time before finally renewing the series for more episodes, but once work got underway, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes halted production last summer. There’s no word on when viewers will finally be welcomed back to the dreaming, but this year did see Gaiman’s world expand on the platform with the release of Dead Boy Detectives. Following its move from Max last year, the spinoff series burst onto the scene in April with rave reviews surrounding the wonderfully weird and haunting story of afterlife detectives Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) and Edwin Payne (George Rextrew). Assuming the Steve Yockey-helmed show earns a renewal itself, it could continue to link up with Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer‘s flagship series, especially after Season 1 featured Howell-Baptiste and other nods to the Sandman universe.