Jacob Anderson made a surprising appearance as the long-teased character in The Sandman’s finale, and the showrunner explains why it might have been the weirdest role he’s ever written for anyone.
Netflix’s The Sandman had quite a dramatic ending for Tom Sturridge’s Dream, but at least it also had a pretty unexpected and epic introduction of an old/new character.
Picking up the story right where the second season’s volume 1 left it, The Sandman follows its leading character as he has to face ramifications of his own actions that allowed his son Orpheus to die earlier in the season.
When the Kindly Ones set out to punish Dream for allegedly spilling family blood, the latter realises that Daniel Hall, a baby conceived in the Dreaming, is the one he wants to see as his heir and the ruler of the Dreaming.
It doesn’t take much longer for Daniel to appear there too, though fans never expected to see Game of Thrones’ star taking on the role in the first place.
‘Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson Plays Grown-Up Daniel Hall in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 (Heavy Spoilers Ahead!)
In the show’s finale, Dream aka Morpheus dies with his sister Death by his side, fulfilling his own dream of being relieved from all the guilt he was feeling in regard to his son Orpheus’ tragic death.
Just when Morpheus dies, Daniel Hall, who has been an 8-month-old baby all along, immediately turns into an adult, becoming the new Dream of the Endless portrayed by Jacob Anderson, mostly known for his role of Grey Worm in Game of Thrones.
After meeting his mother Lyta Hall and forgiving her for killing quite many in the Dreaming before, Daniel attends Morpheus’ funeral and meets the rest of the Endless, making it all a completely new story for The Sandman.
‘The Sandman’ Showrunner Wrote Daniel Role With Jacob Anderson in Mind
Even though Allan Heinberg knew beforehand he would do anything to get Game of Thrones’ actor for the role of Daniel, he first needed to come up with a specific plan on how to describe the entire thing.
“‘You’re an 8-month-old, but you’re a grown man. You’re not doing a Tom Sturridge imitation, but he’s inside you in a weird way.’ Why would anybody want to play this part? It’s very difficult to even wrap your head around”, Heinberg revealed in an interview with TVInsider, adding that, despite his worst expectations, Anderson signed up for the role immediately.
“He was all over it. I basically wrote the script with Jacob in mind”, the showrunner said.
