At the end of Season 2 of The Sandman, Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) faced the fate of spilling Endless family blood by killing his son, Orpheus, which, in turn, led to the accession of Daniel, who took on Morpheus’ powers. But the actor who played adult Daniel was a huge surprise, and one that the producers had planned well ahead.
Which actor plays adult Daniel Hall in The Sandman Season 2 Volume 2?
Morpheus willingly died at the end of The Sandman Season 2, with his sister, Death, by his side to save the Dreaming. After Morpheus’ death, Daniel instantly transformed into an adult.
The adult Daniel was played by Jacob Anderson, who is most well-known for playing Grey Worm in Game of Thrones. He also portrayed Louis de Pointe du Lac in Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire to great acclaim.
After Morpheus’ death, Daniel inherited all his powers and became the new Dream of the Endless. He wore all white clothing, in sharp contrast to Morpheus. Daniel’s humanity makes him a better fit for the powers, as he wouldn’t repeat Morpheus’ mistakes.
Allan Heinberg explained to TV Insider how Jacob Anderson fit right into the role and how he wrote the script thinking of Jacob. “I basically wrote the script with Jacob in mind,” Heinberg said. “We got feedback early on that in the early draft of the outline that Daniel was lacking an arc. We were sort of just seeing him react as he does in the comics… And I thought he just wants to understand how he got here and what he’s supposed to do now. He has a lot of questions, and the audience is going to have a lot of questions too.”
Heinberg further added, “So, to be able to allow Jacob to ask all those questions and really feel all of that confusion and trying to fight through it to something was a huge gift. He executed it effortlessly, brilliantly, and emotionally.”
So, The Sandman Season 2 concluded with a major casting reveal and a smooth passing of the torch to the next Dream. However, fans will not get to see any more of the series.
Both seasons of The Sandman are available for streaming on Netflix.
