Just when you thought it was safe to dream again, Netflix have launched a bonus episode 11 of The Sandman: ‘A Dream of a Thousand Cats/Calliope’. 

With Netflix’s absorbing adaptation of The Sandman dropping all ten episodes on August 5th, many fans had begun the long wait for a second series. However, the show’s creators were holding something back… a rather starry double-feature episode.

Here’s the synopsis:

From the mind of Neil Gaiman, a two-part bonus episode of THE SANDMAN, featuring the stories “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” and “Calliope,” In this two-part story collection, a Siamese cat dreaming of a new world and a writer in desperate need of inspiration cross paths with Morpheus.

Both tales are drawn from ‘Dream Country’, the arc that spans issues 17-20 of the original comic run.

A Dream of a Thousand Cats

The first is the animated ‘A Dream of a Thousand Cats’ which sees Dream adopt a feline form.

The guest cast is impressive; Sandra Oh stars as the prophet, joined by two real life couples familiar to fans of the lockdown hit Staged: David Tennant and Georgia Tennant, plus Michael Sheen and Anna Lundberg.

Additionally, the vocal cast includes Rosie Day, David Gyasi, Joe Lycett, James McAvoy, Nonso Anozie, Diane Morgan, Tom Wu – and Neil Gaiman himself.

Calliope

The second part is live-action, but no less stellar. ‘Calliope’ tells the story of the desperate writer Richard Madoc (Arthur Darvill) and his muse Calliope (Melissanthi Mahut).

Its cast also includes the three Fates (Nina Wadia, Souad Faress and Dinita Gohil), Kevin Harvey and Amita Suman. Oh, and acting legend Derek Jacobi too!

There’s still no news of a second series of The Sandman, but here’s hoping. The show is certainly making its presence felt according to Netflix.

We’ll keep you posted.