Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman has cast Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim Chaudhry in supporting roles for the upcoming dark fantasy series based on the DC comics.
The streaming giant’s The Sandman is set to star Tom Sturridge as ‘Dream’ in the central role, alongside Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar.
The Sandman is an American comic book series created by Neil Gaiman. It stands as one of the few comic book titles to become a New York Times bestseller. The Sandman series was the flagship title for Vertigo comics. Neil Gaiman’s writing is famous for his take on mythology and his use of anthropomorphic personification of metaphysical entities. Some of Gaiman’s most recent and most popular works are titles such as Starz’ American Gods, Good Omens on Amazon Prime, and Lucifer on Netflix.
The story centres on the character Dream – one of the Seven Endless. Dream, along with the other ‘Endless’ are billions of years old and each represents an embodiment of a natural force. Dream, also known as Morpheus along with multitudinous other names and titles acquired over billions of years, is the anthropomorphic personification of dreams. Morpheus resides in his realm ‘The Dreaming’ where he has complete and utter control but struggles to adapt to change (a common theme recurring throughout the series).
Sturridge who will play Dream, recently appeared in the 2019 film Velvet Buzzsaw and received Tony Award nominations for his work in Orphans and Sea Wall/A Life.
Christie, fames for her roles on Game of Thrones and in the new Star Wars film trilogy, will star as Lucifer, ruler of Hell. Acheampong, who recently appeared in The Witches on HBO Max, will play Lucienne, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm.
Holbrook, who previously starred in the first two seasons of Narcos at Netflix, will play The Corinthian, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store. Dance, another Game of Thrones alum, will play Roderick Burgess, described as a Charlatan, blackmailer and magician.
Bhaskar who appeared in the Amazon adaptation of Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s book Good Omens and also appeared in the feature film Yesterday, will play Cain – brother to Abel (Chaudry); who was last seen in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and is also known for his role in People Just Do Nothing. Abel and Cain are described as the first victim and first predator respectively — also residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm.
What’s On Netflix outlines that while Cain is the brother to Abel, he is also a neighbour of Dream. Cain resides in his home in the House of Mystery. Cain loves his brother despite his obsessive and compulsive desire to kill Abel.
The brother of Cain, Abel has to endure his brother’s antics on a regular basis, especially when he is killed. Immortal like his brother, Abel is able to revive and recover from death and has the vain hope that he and his brother can have a more harmonious relationship.
“For the last thirty-three years, the ‘Sandman’ characters have breathed and walked around and talked in my head. I’m unbelievably happy that now, finally, they get to step out of my head and into reality,” Gaiman said in a statement.
“I can’t wait until the people out there get to see what we’ve been seeing as Dream and the rest of them take flesh, and the flesh belongs to some of the finest actors out there. This is astonishing, and I’m so grateful to the actors and to all of ‘The Sandman collaborators’ — Netflix, Warner Bros., DC, to Allan Heinberg and David Goyer, and the legions of crafters and geniuses on the show — for making the wildest of all my dreams into reality.”
For details on the complete cast and their characters, click here.
