‘The Sandman: Act II’ on Audible Premiere Date Set, James McAvoy Returns to Lead Star-Studded Cast

Todd Spangler
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

James McAvoy is coming back as Morpheus in Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman: Act II” audio drama — set to premiere exclusively on Audible this fall.

The audio series will continue Audible’s adaptation the best-selling graphic novel series written by Gaiman and published by DC. “The Sandman: Act II” will debut Sept. 22, 2021, on Audible at this link. Amazon-owned Audible announced its order for seasons 2 and 3 of “The Sandman” earlier this year, after launching the first installment a year ago.

More from Variety

Ahead of the part 2 premiere, Audible will make the first installment of “The Sandman” available for free starting today. Previously, the series was available only via Audible Premium Plus ($14.95/month) or as an a la carte purchase for $34.95.

“The Sandman: Act II” will once again be adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs and narrated by Gaiman, who also serves as creative director and co-executive producer. The original score is again provided by BAFTA-winning composer James Hannigan.

The ensemble cast will be led by McAvoy, reprising the title role of Dream (aka Morpheus), with Kat Dennings (as Death), Michael Sheen (Lucifer) and Andy Serkis (Matthew the Raven) reprising their respective roles.

“Thrilled to be in the brilliant cast of The Sandman: Act II from @audible and @dc, based on the acclaimed graphic novels written by @neilgaiman,” McAvoy said in a post on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Mcavoy (@jamesmcavoyrealdeal)

New and returning cast members for season 2 include Jeffrey Wright (Destiny), Regé-Jean Page (Orpheus), Brian Cox (Augustus), Emma Corrin (Thessaly), John Lithgow (Emperor Joshua Norton), David Tennant (Loki), Bill Nighy (Odin), Kristen Schaal (Delirium), Kevin Smith (Merv Pumpkinhead), Bebe Neuwirth (Bast), Miriam Margolyes (Despair), Joanna Lumley (Lady Johanna Constantine), Niamh Walsh (Nuala) and Arthur Darvill (William Shakespeare).

“The Sandman: Act II” will adapt the Gaiman graphic novel series’ “Volume Four: Season of Mists” and “Volume Five: A Game of You,” as well as the “Distant Mirrors” quartet and the “Convergence” trio from “Volume Six: Fables & Reflections.”

In U.S., the first installment of “The Sandman” will be available free to download or stream from Audible from July 22-Oct. 22. All episodes will be available Alexa-enabled devices Aug. 3-31 (by saying “Alexa, read ‘The Sandman’”), while Amazon Music will provide free access to episodes 1-3 of the first installment from July 22-Oct. 22.

“The Sandman” is the Audible’s best-selling original title in its history, and it held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller Audio Fiction list in July and August 2020.

Separately, a TV series adaptation of “Sandman” is in the works for Netflix at Warner Bros. Television.

“The Sandman: Act II” will join Audible’s lineup of original audio dramas, which include “Killing Hollywood: The Cotton Club Murder” starring Christian Slater, Juliette Lewis and Rainn Wilson; “Panic: Ghosts and Legends” from Lauren Oliver; “Yard Work,” written by David Koepp and starring Kevin Bacon; “Phreaks” starring Christian Slater and Ben McKenzie; and “When You Finish Saving the World,” written and performed by Jesse Eisenberg.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.