Total Film has released a new image from The Sandman that portrays Morpheus ( Tom Sturridge ) in his gloomy and imposing castle.
Neil Gaiman , author of the comic and showrunner of the series, is almost in disbelief that this adaptation was made according to his wishes.
I didn’t hope we’d ever get to this point, but I was convinced that the important thing was to keep bad versions [of the adaptation] from being made. When a bad version is made, there is no turning back. It may sound silly, but when I was 14 or 15, my favorite comic was Howard the Duck . Steve Gerber, Gene Colan, Frank Brunner, satire, madness, glory… and I was thrilled when I heard George Lucas was going to make a movie of it. And then came “A New Kind of Hero” [ refers to the tagline of the film, ed ]. Howard the Duck became a bad joke. I didn’t want anything like Sandman to happen , and I’ve seen scripts that would have caused just that.
Gaiman cannot guarantee that the show will give you “the Sandaman of your dreams”, but he assures that he is proud of the result.
I can say that Stephen Fry in the role of Gilbert is waiting for you, Boyd Holbrook in the role of Corinthian, the convention of serial-killers. When it comes to casting we have been able to aim higher than our means, because there are people who love Sandman and desperately want to participate. They are all in Sandman because they love it. And it is a magical thing.
The debut of the series is expected on August 5 on Netflix . You can see the image below.
The new image of The Sandman
Exclusive: Here’s your new look at Tom Sturridge in Netflix’s #TheSandman https://t.co/DiUaF6mUc7
— Total Film (@totalfilm) June 22, 2022
The producers
The first season will have ten episodes, and will adapt the stories Preludes , Nocturnes and The Doll’s House . The pilot was written by showrunner Allan Heinberg with Neil Gaiman himself and David S. Goyer . The latter are also executive producers. Some episodes will be directed by Toby Haynes ( Doctor Who , Sherlock , Black Mirror ).
The synopsis
A rich blend of modern mythology and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly stitched together, The Sandman follows the people and places influenced by Morpheus, the King of Dreams, as he makes amends for cosmic mistakes – and humans – which he accomplished during his long existence.
The cast
The cast includes Tom Sturridge (Morpheus), Gwendoline Christie (Lucifer), Vivienne Acheampong (Lucienne), Charles Dance (Roderick Burgess), Sanjeev Bhaskar (Cain), Asim Chaudhry (Abele), Boyd Holbrook (Corinthian), Jenna Coleman (Johanna Constantine), David Thewlis (John Dee), Stephen Fry (Gilbert), Patton Oswalt (Matthew), Joely Richardson (Ethel Cripps), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death), Mason Alexander Park (Desire), Donna Preston (Despair), Niamh Walsh (Ethel Cripps young), Kyo Ra (Rose Walker), Razane Jammal (Lyta Hall), Sandra James Young (Unity Kincaid) and Eleanor Famyinka (Rachel) .
An ambitious project
It seems that the agreement between Netflix and Warner Bros. Television to make Sandman is “very massive”: some sources already describe it as “the most expensive TV series ever made by DC Entertainment “.
The showrunner
Allan Heinberg created the Young Avengers comic for Marvel, but has previously worked on the small screen in series such as Five in the Family, Sex and the City, A Mom to a Friend, The OC, Grey’s Anatomy, Looking, Scandal and The Catch . as well as writing the blockbuster Wonder Woman for Warner and DC Films.
A legendary comic
The original comic was published by DC Comics (through the Vertigo label ) between 1989 and 1996, and tells the story of Sogno , an anthropomorphic personification of dreams and stories. Her adventures, often tragic and painful, also include her brothers and sisters, the Eternals , who represent various aspects of the human experience such as Destiny, Desire, Despair and Delirium ; in addition, Sandman ‘s tales include many figures drawn from cultural and religious traditions from around the world, from Lucifer (who later became the protagonist of another comic series) to Odin , from Azazel to Calliope .