Morpheus is returning to your earbuds.
Audible has greenlit two more seasons of “The Sandman,” based on Neil Gaiman’s popular graphic-novel series of the same name published by DC. According to Audible, the first installment — released in July 2020 — was the Amazon-owned company’s best-selling original to date.
“The Sandman: Act II” and “The Sandman: Act III” audio dramas will premiere exclusively on Audible, but the company didn’t provide expected release dates. The next two seasons will again be adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs and narrated by Gaiman, who also returns as creative director and co-executive producer.
Separately, a TV series adaptation of “Sandman” is in the works for Netflix at Warner Bros. Television.
The initial 20-episode installment of Audible’s “Sandman” adapted volumes 1-3 of the graphic novel series (“Preludes & Nocturnes,” “The Doll’s House” and “Dream Country”). Part two will cover the “Season of Mists,” “Distant Mirrors,” “A Game of You” and “Convergence” volumes of “The Sandman” series, and the third installment will adapt “Brief Lives” and “Worlds Ends.”
For now, there’s no confirmation of the cast for the second and third seasons of “Sandman” on Audible. The first series, in addition to Gaiman as the Narrator, featured James McAvoy as Morpheus, Kat Dennings as Death, Taron Egerton as John Constantine, Michael Sheen as Lucifer, Riz Ahmed as the Corinthian, Andy Serkis as Matthew the Raven, Samantha Morton as Urania Blackwell, Bebe Neuwirth as the Siamese Cat, and Justin Vivian Bond as Desire. The project, whose runtime clocks in at nearly 11 hours of audio, also features an original score by British composer and musician James Hannigan.
Gaiman said in a statement, “It was thrilling to be a part of the fastest-selling Audible fiction title and to watch it break records. 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.’”
He added, “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.’”
Maggs, in addition to Audible’s “The Sandman,” has worked with Gaiman to adapt and direct BBC versions of “Neverwhere” and “Stardust” as well as Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s “Good Omens” for BBC Radio. Maggs also adapted and produced “The X-Files,” starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, for Audible.
“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 commented.
Season 1 of “The Sandman” audio series currently is available on Audible Premium Plus, which costs $14.95/month and includes one credit per month for any premium selection title as well as access to thousands of other titles.
Gaiman’s “The Sandman” fantasy franchise, which DC Comics debuted in 1989, follows Morpheus, Lord of the Dreaming — a vast, hallucinatory realm housing all the dreams of everyone who’s ever existed, including gods, demons, muses, mythical creatures and humans.
“Audible is proud to be a home for creative visionaries who are bringing extraordinarily immersive stories, like ‘The Sandman,’ to life,” said Rachel Ghiazza, EVP, head of U.S. content at Audible. “We cannot wait for listeners to enter the Dreaming again and wanted to give fans even more to look forward to by greenlighting not just one season but the next two highly anticipated installments.”