The Sandman season 2 gets a big cast update as nine new faces rouse from their sleep to join the hit Netflix show

It's time to rouse from your slumber, dear reader, as The Sandman season two has just got an exciting cast update.

The hit Netflix fantasy series' next entry, which is still being filmed following its Covid-19-enforced hiatus, only added three curiously great hires to portray iconic characters Destiny, Delirium, and The Prodigal in late May. Less than two months later, nine more new faces have joined the cast roster, and there are more than a couple of familiar faces among the acclaimed show's latest additions.

The Sandman season two's new characters, explained

Per The Sandman's X/Twitter account, season two will introduce Ruairi O'Connor (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) as Orpheus. For the uninitiated: per Netflix Tudum, Orpheus is the son of Morpheus/Dream, who'll once again be played by Tom Sturridge, and Calliope (Melissanthi Mahut), the protagonist of one of The Sandman season one's dreamy bonus episode stories.

One of the best Netflix shows' sophomore outings will bring The Sandman's take on Norse gods Loki and Thor to life, too, with Freddie Fox (House of the Dragon season two) and Laurence O'Fuarain (The Witcher: Blood Origin) set to play the God of Mischief and God of Thunder respectively. That duo will be joined by Clive Russell (Game of Thrones) as Odin, Thor's father and – in The Sandman – Loki's blood-brother, and a long-time ally of Dream's in Neil Gaiman's legendary source material.

Steve Coogan, who is well known among UK audiences for his parodical take on TV personalities in the cringe-inducing Alan Partridge, has signed on to voice Barnabas, the talking dog companion of The Prodigal/Destruction.

Ann Skelly (The Nevers) and Douglas Booth (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) tackle the sibling roles of Nuala and Cluracan, royal emissaries of the court of Fairie who couldn't be more dissimilar in their personas. Jack Gleeson (Sex Education, Game of Thrones) is also on board as Puck, a mischievous hobgoblin and the royal jester to Fairie's King Auberon. 

Last but by certainly no means least, Indya Moore (Pose) has been hired to play Wanda, a professional driver and security agent for an exclusive travel firm. One of the first transgender characters to appear in a graphic novel, Wanda's appearance in The Sandman is one of the most highly anticipated newcomers heading into season two.

The Sandman season two was officially announced by Netflix in November 2022, but its journey to TV screens worldwide has been anything but easy. Indeed, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, it's spent over 18 months in development, with The Sandman season 2 only waking from its slumber to re-enter full production last November. Let's hope the cameras don't have to roll for too much longer, otherwise it'll be late 2025 before its sophomore season emerges from its nightmarish development cycle.

While we wait for its next chapter to arrive, read my spoiler-free review of The Sandman season one. Alternatively, find out how Netflix realized a fantastical dream 30-years in the making when it finally developed a fitting live-action adaptation of Gaiman's seminal literary works.

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