Netflix’s The Sandman is gearing up for its second and final season, and fans have been given their first look at two major characters making their debut: Jack Gleeson as Puck and Barry Sloane as Destruction.
The newly released images tease what’s ahead, and showrunner Allan Heinberg shares his enthusiasm about the cast.
The upcoming season will adapt several pivotal stories from Neil Gaiman’s iconic comic, including “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Song of Orpheus.”
Alongside the returning Tom Sturridge as Dream, the season introduces the remaining Endless siblings — Destiny, Delirium, and Destruction, as well as a handful of mythological figures.
Gleeson’s Puck might come as a surprise to fans expecting the traditional trickster. Heinberg described him as something much more layered. Heinberg told Entertainment Weekly:
“He brings sexiness to it and mischief and psychology and heart. I have a tendency to write to the actors playing these parts, and I think our Puck is a very different Puck from the comics, but also from the Puck that I would’ve written for any other actor.”
Gleeson will appear in the episode adapting A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a standout single-issue story where Dream collaborates with Shakespeare himself.
As for Barry Sloane’s Destruction, or the Prodigal, fans should brace for something unexpected. Heinberg said much of the dialogue is lifted directly from the comic, but casting Sloane wasn’t just about finding someone who could embody an immortal force.
“He has such a lightness of touch, and he’s such a loving human. That’s really what we were looking for in casting this role. You think of Destruction, especially as he’s presented in the comics during The Song of Orpheus story, as the ultimate destroyer of worlds.
“His story in the comic, and in our show as well, is actually a soul that’s in conflict. He wants to create, he doesn’t want to destroy. So you need an actor who is so full of love and so full of joy and yet looks like the archetypal soldier.”
In addition to Puck and Destruction, Season 2 brings in a robust lineup of new characters. Adrian Lester steps in as Destiny, Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium, and Ruairi O’Connor as Dream’s son Orpheus.
The Norse pantheon is also coming into play, with Laurence O’Fuarain as Thor, Freddie Fox as Loki, and Clive Russell as Odin. Rounding out the cast are Ann Skelly as Nuala, Douglas Booth as Cluracan, Indya Moore as Wanda, and Steve Coogan lending his voice to Barnabas the dog.
The Sandman Season 2 will roll out in two parts. The first six episodes drop on July 3, 2025, with the final five following on July 24.
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