'The Sandman': Neil Gaiman Teases Season 1 Storylines, DC Superhero Appearances In Netflix Series
Neil Gaiman's acclaimed comic book series The Sandman was a feat of visual storytelling, and one that seems impossible to bring to the screen. But Netflix is sure going to try, and we have Gaiman's blessing and enthusiastic assurances that they will pull it off. The writer has revealed some new details about The Sandman Netflix series, including the storylines and DC superheroes that season 1 will include, and promises that the series will be as "scary" as the comic book series it's adapting.
In an interview with Yahoo, Gaiman revealed that he has been impressed by the first footage from the show, teasing, "I've been watching dailies, but nothing produced the profound, emotional reaction on me that watching a camera test of our Morpheus in his glass prison did. I saw him and said, 'Oh, this is Sandman.'" Gaiman promised that the series captures the tone of his supernatural horror comics as well, adding:
"It will be scary. But it will be lots of other things, too, because the joy of Sandman is that it's a lot of different things in the soup, and you can taste all the flavors."
Production of the series is underway, with Velvet Buzzsaw actor Tom Sturridge in the lead role of Morpheus, AKA Dream. Netflix has been closing in on villains for the series as well, with Liam Hemsworth and Dacre Montgomery circling the role of the nightmarish Corinthian. But Gaiman has been on board the Netflix adaptation since the beginning, teasing earlier this year the show's concept art bringing his vision to life.
Gaiman also confirmed that first season will cover several famous stories from his comic books, including "Dream a Little Dream of Me," which features a cameo from DC superhero John Constantine, as well as the famously brutal "24 Hours," which takes place during a harrowing massacre at a diner, "A Hope in Hell," which follows the lord of dreams as he descends into hell to look for his helm, and "Collectors," a story set entirely at a serial killer convention. "24 Hours" is one of the most disturbing things I've ever read, and I can't even fathom being traumatized by it again onscreen, but I'm intrigued by how the series will tackle "A Hope in Hell," one of the most fantastical and visually packed story arcs that will for sure be expensive as hell to produce.
But Gaiman continues to be the biggest chearleeder for Netflix's The Sandman, describing how the pitch from writer/showrunner Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) and producer David S. Goyer (Batman Begins) beat out the many other pitches he's heard over the years.
"I have seen bad Sandman TV series proposals," Gaiman said. "Some of them are from incredibly talented people who said, 'You can't make this into TV!' About 10 years ago, there was a fantastic showrunner who pitched a Sandman TV show that didn't introduce Morpheus until the fourth episode! It feels so amazingly Sandman. You won't believe how Sandman it is."
No official dates have yet been announced for the series, but a Netflix release seems likely in late 2021 or early 2022.