Set Photos Reveal a Pivotal ‘Sandman’ Part 2 Character

Warning: don’t read any further if you’re avoiding Sandman part 2 spoilers!

Netflix’s first installment of The Sandman, which aired last year, was a pitch-perfect adaption of the classic graphic novel series. Now, a batch of leaked set photos reveals a new character who will change the course of Morpheus’s existence forever.

Part 1 of The Sandman is full of magic and adventure. In the first ten episodes, Dream frees himself from a century-long imprisonment, tracks down his missing relics, accompanies his sister Death on her rounds, and discovers that his sibling Desire has been plotting his demise through the dream vortex Rose Walker.

Shortly after the series aired, fans were treated to more content: a bonus episode that adapted two of the stories in the graphic novel Dream Country: “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” and “Calliope.” In the second story, we learn that Morpheus has a son with the muse Calliope. That son is Orpheus, the famed musician of Greek myth.

Now, it looks like Orpheus may be making his onscreen appearance in The Sandman part 2.

Is Orpheus in The Sandman part 2?

On Wednesday, June 28, several sources tweeted photos of Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, speaking to a man in a flowing white robe on a beach. The man is holding what looks to be a lyre, a type of ancient Greek stringed instrument. In Greek myth, Orpheus plays the lyre, and is known for his extraordinary musical talent.

Like his counterpart in Greek myth, the Orpheus of The Sandman is a tragic figure. In the original comics, Orpheus is kept alive as a disembodied head after journeying to Hades. Eventually, Morpheus is forced to kill him, violating a taboo against killing members of his own family. Morpheus’s act eventually brings about his own downfall.

How is The Sandman filming during the WGA writers’ strike?

Shooting for The Sandman season 2 reportedly began on Monday, June 26. However, the Writers Guild of America strike, which executive producer Neil Gaiman is participating in, is still going strong. WGA members have stressed how important it is to have writers on set, so what’s going on?

Neil Gaiman addressed these concerns on Tumblr, stating that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ failure to meet the WGA’s demands will have a negative impact on The Sandman part 2, Good Omens season 2, and Anansi Boys. Gaiman states that there will be no writer present on set to make any necessary changes to the script.

Absolutely, it will have a negative effect on the promotion and success of Good Omens, just as it will have a negative effect on Anansi Boys (which has just gone to “picture lock” on all six episodes without me signing off on the edits) and on Sandman (which will be shooting without anyone rewriting the scripts, which were frozen as of May 31st). But it’s worth it.

Let’s hope WGA members get the fair pay and working conditions they deserve. In the meantime, The Sandman part 2 is officially on its way—and may include some pretty devastating stories.

(featured image: Netflix)