Jenna Coleman joins cast of The Sandman adaptation

Jenna Coleman, Stephen Fry and Joely Richardson are among the stars to join the cast of Neil Gaiman’s new series The Sandman.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste, David Thewlis and Patton Oswalt will also join the Netflix series based on Gaiman’s DC comic book series of the same name.

The series is described as “a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven.”

The show follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he “mends the cosmic — and human — mistakes he’s made during his vast existence”.

It was previously announced the show will star Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Amid Chaudry, Charles Dances, Vivienne Acheampong and Boyd Holbrook.

Gaiman said: “Every afternoon I get an email telling me that there are ‘dailies’ from The Sandman ready to be watched. It’s the best bit of the day.

“Once every couple of weeks I get an email letting me know that there’s a finished episode waiting for me to watch it. It’s the best bit of the month.

“The Sandman is being made, and it’s… well, it’s The Sandman. Which is the best thing of all.”

Doctor Who star Coleman will play Johanna Constantine, an 18th century occult adventuress and the great-great-great grandmother of the comic book character John Constantine.

Gaiman said: “I created her to fill the role that John Constantine does in the past.

“When we broke down the first season, given that we knew that we would be encountering Johanna in the past, we wondered what would happen if we met a version of her in the present as well.

“We tried it and the script was sparkier, feistier, and in some ways even more fun. So having written her, we just had to cast her. Jenna Coleman gave us the Johanna of our dreams – tough, brilliant, tricky, haunted and probably doomed.”

Howell-Baptiste will play Death, while Mason Alexander Park will play Desire and Donna Preston will play Despair.

Niamh Walsh will play Ethel Cripps in the 1920 and 30s, while Richardson will take on the role in the present day. Thewlis will play Ethel’s son John Dee.

Kyo Ra will take on the role of Rose, while Razane Jammal will play Lyta Hall and Sandra James Young will play Unity Kinkaid.

Fry will play Gilbert, Rose Walker’s debonair protector and a dab hand with a paradox and a sword cane.

Gaiman said: “Stephen Fry is a National Treasure, and we forget sometimes that he’s also a remarkable actor.

“Seeing him in costume and make up on the dailies made me blink: it was as if the comic had come to life.”

Oswalt will take on the role of raven Matthew, Dream’s trusted emissary.

It was previously revealed that The Hollow Crown’s Sturridge will play the lead role of Dream, Lord of the Dreaming, while Game Of Thrones star Christie will feature as Lucifer, Ruler of Hell.