After years of being in development, the live-action debut of the popular DC comics series The Sandman is finally arriving soon on Netflix. Fans all over the world have been waiting for years for the proper adaptation of author Neil Gaiman’s dark fantasy comic book series. As part of Netflix’s weekend fan event TUDUM, we are now one step closer to the series’ debut. Netflix has just released the first footage from the streamer’s upcoming live-action series. You can watch the first official look below.
The Sandman is an upcoming American drama streaming television series based on the comic book series of the same name. The upcoming series is developed by Allan Heinberg, alongside Neil Gaiman and David S. Goyer serving as executive producers. The Sandman is produced by DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Television. The Sandman tells the story of Dream, the titular Sandman. The upcoming series has an impressive cast that stars Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar.
The official synopsis for The Sandman reads as, A wizard attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. Fearful for his safety, the wizard kept him imprisoned in a glass bottle for decades. After his escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. According to Neil Gaiman, the plan is to faithfully adapt the series, beginning with the first season adapting Preludes & Nocturnes and The Doll’s House. However, the upcoming series is already featuring quite a few changes to update the story for modern times. For example, one of these changes includes the series taking place in the year 2021 rather than 1989, with Dream now being imprisoned for 105 years instead of 75 years.
Efforts to adapt The Sandman to film first began back in 1991, which floundered in development hell for many years. In 2013, David S. Goyer had pitched a film adaptation of the series to Warner Bros. with David S. Goyer and Neil Gaiman set to produce alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was originally planned to star, and possibly direct. However, Gordon-Levitt exited over creative differences later in 2016. Due to the prolonged development of the film, Warner Bros. shifted its focus to a television series. Netflix then signed a deal to produce the series in June 2019, with filming lasting from October 2020 to August 2021.
The Sandman is a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman, and published by DC Comics. The artists include Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson, Shawn McManus, Marc Hempel, Bryan Talbot, and Michael Zulli, with lettering by Todd Klein, and covers by Dave McKean. The original comic book series of The Sandman ran for a total of 75 issues from January 1989 to March 1996. Critically acclaimed, The Sandman was one of the first few graphic novels to ever be on The New York Times Best Seller list. Filming wrapped in August, and although there is no confirmed release date as of yet, The Sandman is expected to debut on Netflix sometime in late 2021.