The most distinctive character from the group is Freddie Fox, last seen in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Great, and House of the Dragon who portrays a cruel, conniving Loki. Gaiman’s take on Loki is all malevolence, a trickster who derives joy from making others suffer, far from the dashing liar portrayed by Hiddleston.
Perhaps the biggest name on the list is Jack Gleeson, who played the most hatable character of all time King Joffrey from Game of Thrones (and a kid who isn’t Robin in Batman Begins). As the fairy Puck, Gleeson will get to show off a more playful side in the highly anticipated adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in which William Shakespeare and his players perform the play for Morpheus and an audience of fairies.
But when Puck and Loki make their move against Morpheus in World’s End, Gleeson will be back on familiar ground. We won’t give away any spoilers here, but Puck becomes one of the more terrifying figures in Gaiman’s oeuvre, quite an accomplishment given the writer’s fondness for horror.
Also announced are Ann Skelly from The Nevers and Douglas Booth as fairy siblings and Nuala and Clurucan. Indya Moore has been cast as a driver called Wanda and comedic great Steve Coogan will voice the dog Barnabas, both of whom will interact with the Prodigal (Barry Sloane), the member of the Endless who abandoned his post.
Together, these stories help flesh out all members of the Endless, including Morpheus himself. That development will show viewers how the Endless end, raising the stakes for a series already looking toward its finale.
The Sandman season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
