Pose icon Indya Moore cast in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman as groundbreaking trans character Wanda
Pose star Indya Moore will play Wanda in The Sandman season two. (Supplied)
The second season of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is in the works, and Pose star Indya Moore has officially been cast as historic trans character Wanda.
It’s safe to say fans are overjoyed. Ever since Moore crashed onto our TVs as Angel Evangelista in Ryan Murphy’s queer FX hit Pose in 2018, there’s been an insuppressible demand to see more of her on screen.
Though she’s had some fairly sizeable projects since, including a voice role on Netflix’s huge sci-fi hit Nimona, a part in DC’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and a role in Dylan O’Brien thriller film Ponyboi, her turn as Wanda is set to be her biggest project since Pose ended in 2021.
Neil Gaiman first teased Moore’s role in the show back in 2022, just after the release of the first season on Netflix in August that year, explaining that the character of Wanda would be “integral” to the second season.
“Oh, yes, absolutely,” he explained when questioned on whether we’d be seeing Wanda in season two.
“Wanda is an absolutely integral part of The Sandman universe and ‘A Game of You.’ And if we’re lucky enough to make Season two, Wanda will be a huge, huge part… It’s going to be so much fun casting fabulous trans actors.”
Who is Wanda in The Sandman?
It’s been thirty-five years since Neil Gaiman’s first The Sandman comics landed on shelves, and his inclusion of a trans character in 1991, Wanda, was nothing short of revolutionary at the time.
In the comics, Wanda plays a huge part in the fifth collection of DC comics entitled “A Game of You”, released back in 1993. Wanda’s storylines in the comic include her dealing with her parent’s rejection of her trans identity and moving to New York and sparking a friendship with Barbie (played in season one of the Netflix adaptation by Lily Travers).
As Netflix announced Indya Moore will take on the historic role, the streaming giant shared a synopsis of what fans can expect of her character.
“Wanda is a professional driver and security agent for an exclusive travel firm. Wanda proves herself to be an indispensable guide on an Endless road trip to the waking world,” reads the official description.
Fans of the original comics will also know how things shape up for Wanda in the end – but we’ll keep it spoiler free here.
Ever since fans learnt that The Sandman would be coming to TV screens, Gaiman has promised that he’d do right by the trans character in the best way possible – including modernising some aspects of Wanda’s story which some fans of the comic books have dubbed problematic today.
“Wanda began for me in 1988, because I had trans friends and was not seeing them reflected in the comics I was reading, so I resolved to create a trans woman in a mainstream comic, the first time that had happened,” Gaiman told Tudum about casting Moore.
“For over three decades, people have been telling me that she was an inspiration to them. I’m thrilled that, 35 years later, she’s on the screen in all her glory.”
He has previously committed to bringing trans writers into the room, too, explaining in 2020: “My biggest request to the Sandman showrunner for when we get to the season with ‘Game of You’ in it is that we have trans men and trans women in the writers’ room. Not as consultants, but as writers.”
Joining Moore on the new cast list for season two is Handsome Devil actor Ruairi O’Connor as Orpheus, Cucumber star Freddie Foxc as Loki, Game of Thrones actor Clive Russell as Odin, The Gentleman’s Laurence O’Fuarain as Thor, The Nevers actress Ann Sklly as Nuala, and The Dirt’s Douglas Booth as Cluracan.
Game of Thrones star Jack Gleeson will also join the cast as Puck, alongside acting legend Steve Coogan, who will play Barnabas.
The newcomers join season one faovurites, including Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer and non-binary star Mason Alexander Park as Desire.
There is currently no release date for The Sandman season two.
