It has been a pretty big day already for fans of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman as the author and Netflix revealed the first casting news for the anticipated live-action TV series, and now Variety has revealed even more news to excite fans as Audible has renewed The Sandman audio drama for two more seasons.
The Sandman audio drama launched last summer with James McAvoy providing the voice of Dream, the Lord of Dreams after he escapes from a decades long imprisonment. Audible adapted the first three volumes of Gaiman’s comic run with Dirk Maggs writing and directing the season. The Sandman: Act II will adapt volumes 4 – 6 that includes the stories ‘Season of Mists’, ‘Distant Mirrors’, ‘A Game of You’ and ‘Convergence’. The Sandman: Act III will cover volumes 7 – 8 with ‘Brief Lives’ and ‘Worlds Ends’.
With 20 episodes spanning 11 hours, the first season of The Sandman became Audible’s best-selling original title ever. Maggs will return to write and direct Act II and Act III with Gaiman also returning to narrate and serve as creative director and co-executive producer.
“It was thrilling to be a part of the fastest-selling Audible fiction title and to watch it break records,” Gaiman said. “I’m excited to discover what other surprises the genius Dirk Maggs has up his sleeve in the next volumes of Audible’s The Sandman. It’s like making movies for the ear that go straight to the brain. And soon it will be time to meet the whole family, then to go back to Hell once more, as Morpheus confronts Lucifer in ‘Season of Mists.'”
“We have a big vision for the next two seasons and the stories in this next installment are among the best Neil has ever told,” Maggs added.
The first instalment of The Sandman included a star-studded cast that saw McAvoy joined by Riz Ahmed (Venom) as the Corinthian, Kat Dennings (Thor: The Dark World) as Death, Taron Egerton (Rocketman) as John Constantine, Samantha Morton (The Walking Dead) as Urania Blackwell, Andy Serkis (The Batman) as Matthew the Raven, Michael Sheen (Good Omens) as Lucifer and Bebe Neuwirth (Madam Secretary) as the Siamese Cat. There is no word yet if any of the cast will return for the next two seasons, nor when Act II and Act III can be expected to be released.
When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus – the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination – is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools” that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence. As the multi-threaded story unspools, The Sandman descends into Hell to confront Lucifer, chases rogue nightmares who have escaped his realm, and crosses paths with an array of characters from DC comic books, ancient myths, and real-world history, including: Inmates of Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, Doctor Destiny, the muse Calliope, the three Fates, William Shakespeare, and many more.
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