James McAvoy to Return in the Title Role, Leading the Star-Studded Ensemble Including Kat Dennings, Andy Serkis, Michael Sheen, Regé-Jean Page, Jeffrey Wright, Brian Cox, Emma Corrin, John Lithgow, David Tennant, Kristen Schaal, Bill Nighy and More
Neil Gaiman, Author of The Sandman Graphic Novels from DC, Returns as Co-Executive Producer, Creative Director, and Key Role
The Sandman: Act II Set to Debut September 22nd
Directed & Adapted by Co-Executive Producer Dirk Maggs; Exclusively On Audible
First Season of The Sandman to be Made Available for Free this Summer
NEWARK, N.J. – July 22, 2021 – Audible Inc., the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, today announced the powerhouse cast and premiere date of the much-anticipated second installment of the New York Times best-selling, multi-part original audio drama series, The Sandman with, The Sandman: Act II. The exclusive audio series will continue to adapt the New York Times best-selling graphic novel series, The Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC, debuting on September 22, 2021 on Audible. The first installment will be made available for free on Audible, Amazon Music, and through Alexa enabled devices this summer.
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 ensemble cast will be led by James McAvoy in the title role of Dream, with Kat Dennings, Michael Sheen, and Andy Serkis reprising their respective roles. Jeffrey Wright, Regé-Jean Page, Brian Cox, Emma Corrin, John Lithgow, David Tennant, Bill Nighy, Kristen Schaal, Kevin Smith, Aidan Turner, Bebe Neuwirth, Adrian Lester, Miriam Margolyes, Arthur Darvill, Ray Porter and an expansive list of additional cast are set to join them. The original score is again provided by the BAFTA award-winning composer, James Hannigan.
This second installment follows hot on the heels of the wildly successful first in the multi-part original audio drama series, The Sandman, which was released on July 15, 2020 to record breaking pre-orders. It also holds the distinction of being the best-selling Audible Original in the company’s history and occupied the #1 spot on The New York Times Best Seller Audio Fiction list in July 2020 and August 2020. The Sandman: Act II will adapt Volume Four: Season of Mists, and Volume Five: A Game of You, as well as the “Distant Mirrors” quartet and “Convergence” trio from Volume Six: Fables & Reflections, of the graphic novel series.
In anticipation of the new installment’s upcoming debut, beginning today, fans in the U.S. can catch up, re-listen, or experience The Sandman in audio for the first time, for free, before they re-enter the Dreaming with Act II this September. Listeners can download the complete first installment of The Sandman for free on Audible, July 22 through October 22; listen to episodes 1-3 of the first installment on all Amazon Music tiers, July 22 through October 22; and experience The Sandman in its entirety through Alexa-enabled devices August 3 through August 31 by simply saying “Alexa, read The Sandman.”
This upcoming Audible Original joins a powerful slate of original audio dramas including 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, When You Finish Saving the World written and performed by Jesse Eisenberg, and many more.
About Audible, Inc.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible content includes more than 600,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers.
About DC
DC, a WarnerMedia Company, creates iconic characters, enduring stories, and immersive experiences that inspire and entertain audiences of every generation around the world and is one of the world’s largest publishers of comics and graphic novels. As a creative division, DC is charged with strategically integrating its stories and characters across film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, interactive games, DC UNIVERSE INFINITE digital subscription service and community engagement portal. For more information visit dccomics.com and dcuniverseinfinite.com.
About Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author and creator of books, graphic novels, short stories, film and television for all ages, including Norse Mythology, Neverwhere, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, The View from the Cheap Seats, and The Sandman comic series published by DC. His fiction has received Newbery, Carnegie, Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. Gaiman was the writer and showrunner for the Emmy-nominated mini-series adaptation of Good Omens, based on the book he co-authored with Sir Terry Pratchett; his novel American Gods, has also been adapted to a critically acclaimed, Emmy-nominated TV series. His audiobooks have won 5 Audie Awards and frequently appear on the NYT Audio Bestseller List. In 2017, he became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
About Dirk Maggs
Dirk Maggs writes and directs immersive, densely layered audio stories that fire the imagination. At the BBC, his groundbreaking ‘audio movies’ featuring DC Comics’ Superman and Batman dazzled Douglas Adams, who asked Dirk to bring The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy back to its original home, BBC Radio. In the last decade, Dirk has worked closely with his friend Neil Gaiman to adapt and direct prestige BBC versions of Neverwhere, Stardust and Neil and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens. For Audible, Dirk adapted and produced The X-Files, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and four epic audio adventures set in the Alien universe. Dirk’s many awards include Audies, Writers Guild, Sonys, Talkies, British Fantasy Society and two New York Festivals Gold Medals. Dirk is an Honorary fellow of the University of Winchester, and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by Bournemouth University.
