After the record-breaking success of The Sandman’s debut audio production, it was only a matter of time until we’d all be dreaming again.
Variety announced earlier today that Audible has given the go-ahead to two more full-length installments of The Sandman, the large-scale audio production based on Neil Gaiman’s iconic and influential fantasy comic book series. Adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs and narrated by Gaiman, who also serves as creative director and co-executive producer, The Sandman’s debut installment offered a vivid and powerfully effective take on Gaiman’s story, where a star-studded cast featuring James McAvoy, Kat Dennings, Andy Serkis, Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton and more brought characters like Morpheus, Death, Lucifer and John Constantine to vivid life in an adaptation that remained remarkably faithful to the comic book series.
In response, fans rewarded the production by breaking the record for most pre-orders of an Audible Original title and making it the bestselling Audible Original in the company’s history. The Sandman was also a New York Times bestseller, occupying the #1 spot on its audio fiction list for two months—July 2020 and August 2020.
“It was thrilling to be a part of the fastest-selling Audible fiction title and to watch it break records,” Gaiman shared in a press release announcing the new installments. “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. 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.”
The first Sandman audio production covered the first three volumes of the graphic novel series—Preludes & Nocturnes, The Doll’s House and Dream Country. The second installment, The Sandman: Act II, will adapt Season of Mists, A Game of You and two series of stories found within Fables & Reflections, “Distant Mirrors” and “Convergence.” The third installment, The Sandman: Act III, will take on Brief Lives and Worlds’ End. Both installments will premiere exclusively on Audible.
“I can’t wait to return to The Dreaming with Neil, DC and Audible,” said Maggs in the press release. “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.”
Seasons of Mists is arguably the most popular Sandman storyline to come out of Gaiman’s original series, telling the story of what happens after Lucifer decides he no longer wants to rule hell and gives leadership of it to Morpheus. Along with providing a showcase for some truly imaginative characters, the storyline also served as a springboard for Lucifer’s own ongoing comic series, which eventually spawned the popular Netflix series of the same name. Seasons of Mists also introduced the Dead Boy Detectives, a pair of ghostly pre-teen mystery solvers who have also been the subject of their own comic series.
It’s unclear when either of the new installments will be released, but regardless, it’s clearly a great time to be a Sandman fan right now. Along with the audio production, the universe Gaiman created lives on in the current comic series The Dreaming: Waking Hours and will soon be brought to live-action life in a highly anticipated Netflix series that also announced the first of its cast today.
Expect more news on casting and release dates for The Sandman: Act II and The Sandman: Act III in the weeks and months ahead. For now, though, let us know what you think! Have you listened to The Sandman on Audible? What did you think of it? And are you excited to get more? Let us know in the DC Community!
