The Sandman panel began with an intense scene with John Dee ( David Thewlis ) arriving at a restaurant.
He sits at a table in the corner and is greeted by a friendly waitress. She asks him how he is and he replies: “Well as I haven’t felt in a long time” and then he talks to her about his wishes for her for a better world.
Soon after , Neil Gaiman and the rest of the cast took to the stage.
Gaiman talked about The Sandman ‘s casting process , we learned for example that Patton Oswalt was the first to be cast:
“Patton was cast before Patton knew he was. We knew he was going to get into that raven costume. “
He suggested Jenna Coleman after working with her on Doctor Who . Mason landed the role of her after tweeting directly to Gaiman .
In the case of Gwendoline Christie , Gaiman asked her to participate in the show, and she agreed on one condition: that she could play Lucifer. Speaking of the series, Christie said:
“It is absolutely our reality as human beings through the prism of spiritualistic fantasy. I’m a one-stop shop for a junkie angel. He has a spirituality reminiscent of that of Star Wars “
Fair to say, Gwendoline Christie is a HUGE fan of the comics #TheSandman pic.twitter.com/YIJKC6ZTb0
— The Sandman on Netflix (Fan Page) (@Sandman_Netflix) July 23, 2022
Tom Sturridge explained how he got into the character of Dream and his journey on the show, talking about his preparation for the role he added:
“I spent many months reading and rereading [the comic] until it got into my bones. I care a lot about this literary masterpiece. Each episode is a different film within this cohesive world ”.
Tom Sturridge discusses his passion for Sandman #TheSandman #SDCC pic.twitter.com/KZATv6rnWB
— The Sandman on Netflix (Fan Page) (@Sandman_Netflix) July 23, 2022
In the second clip, taken from episode 3, we see Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine officiating a wedding, where the groom tears off his skin and reveals the demon inside. Dream tries to get information from him, but Constantine eliminates him before her.
In the third clip, again from episode 6, which shows that bench scene between Death and Dream in The Sound of Her Wings : Dream feels lost after achieving what he wanted. Death berates him for indulging in a bit of melancholy instead of embracing a new journey, and throws a baguette at him.
The Sandman original cover artist Dave McKeen made ten different credits sequences, one for each episode.
Neil talking about getting Dave McKean on board to do the end credits for #TheSandman! 🖤 pic.twitter.com/Fj8KdiDHEF
— swirly ☥ THE SANDMAN NETFLIX AUG 5 @ SDCC ERA (@swirlingthings) July 23, 2022
Finally , Allan Heinberg said that streaming was the only option to be able to tell this story well.
The panel ended with the new trailer, here it is:
And a new poster:
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), Eleanor Fanyinka (Rachel) and Sandra James Young (Unity Kincaid).
Mark Hamill will be the voice of Merv Pumpkinhead.
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 and David S. Goyer . The latter are also executive producers. Some episodes will be directed by Toby Haynes ( Doctor Who , Sherlock , Black Mirror ).