Some fans thought it would never happen, but Netflix is finally bringing The Sandman to
live action.
Who was trusted to bring the enigmatic Dream to life?
And who rounds out the rest of this all-star cast?
Watch this before you see "The Sandman."
Netflix's "The Sandman" is set to premiere on August 5th, 2022.
Considering that the author himself once claimed to have spent 30 years battling against bad
adaptations, the fact that this series is so close to release is incredibly encouraging.
The series originally entered post-production on July 23rd, 2021, and then again on April
17th, 2022.
It's unclear exactly why there are currently two separate periods of post-production, but
it was likely to make sure the finished show will truly bring to life Neil Gaiman's vision.
The average time it takes for a feature-length film to go from raw footage to the final product
is around six months to a year.
This includes editing, sound mixing, color correction, visual effects, and a host of
other processes that need to be completed before the project's release.
Because the total runtime of Netflix's "The Sandman" will undoubtedly be much longer than
the average film, it could explain why there were two separate phases.
In any case, we can't wait to see the Dream finally make it to TV screens on August 5th.
Tom Sturridge takes on the role of Dream, a powerful figure also known as Morpheus or
The Sandman.
Dream is one of the seven Endless, a family of beings who represent different aspects
of the universe.
He's an immensely powerful character who rules over a kingdom known as the Dreaming.
"Death has family.
Desire.
Destiny.
Despair."
Though Sturridge will serve as the lead of the series, he's just one of many familiar
faces you'll see in the massive ensemble cast of "The Sandman."
One of the prominent roles in the series belongs to Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who plays Death
in the series.
She's most well known for her roles in "Killing Eve" and "The Good Place."
Then there's Jenna Coleman, who plays Johanna Constantine, who in the comics is the great-great-great-grandmother
of John Constantine.
The series will reunite "Game of Thrones" alumni Charles Dance and Gwendoline Christie.
Dance takes over the role of occultist Roderick Burgess, while Christie inhabits the character
of Lucifer Morningstar.
And the legendary Mark Hamill provides the voice of Mervyn Pumpkinhead.
The list of actors is so long, it's hard to get into them all, but all told, the cast
of "The Sandman" is filled from top to bottom with some of the most talented and well-known
actors out there.
Fans will be overjoyed to hear that these beloved characters are in such experienced
hands.
The story of Netflix's "The Sandman" will follow the plot of Neil Gaiman's original
comic series.
At the beginning of the story, Dream is captured by the occultist Roderick Burgess and is held
captive for over 70 years.
Dream's lengthy absence wreaks havoc across the universe as a whole, and when he finally
escapes, he is forced to set out on a lengthy journey to restore order and fix his past
mistakes.
"Forgive me, sire.
The palace, the realm, they are not as you left them."
Gaiman also clarified that the first 10 episodes of the series will cover the first two volumes
of the comic: "Preludes and Nocturnes," and "The Doll's House."
The first volume follows Dream as he reacquires the magical tools that were stolen from him
during his imprisonment.
The second volume is chiefly concerned with a serial killer convention, subtle machinations
from Dream's sibling Desire, and the emergence of a Dream vortex, which could spell doom
for Sandman's kingdom.
Beyond these small details about the plot, information about the series itself remains
sparse, though the recently released trailer gives us a few pretty significant clues about
what to expect in Netflix's "The Sandman."
The trailer for "The Sandman" focuses heavily on Dream and his kingdom of the Dreaming,
From what we see in the trailer, it seems like Dream is released from his occult prison
when two police officers shoot at him and shatter the glass walls that surround him.
From there, we watch him return to his kingdom, and discover that the Dreaming has turned
into a decayed ruin in his absence.
We get a brief glimpse of Death, Dream's loyal sister, as well as the villainous John Dee,
the latter of whom is holding a ruby that fans will recognize as very important to the
plot of the original comic.
Finally, we get a brief but chilling shot of a man with bleeding eyes, who may be The
Corinthian, a malevolent nightmare who escaped the Dreaming during his masters' absence.
Even though this first trailer is only a teaser for what's to come, we are still able to extract
a surprising amount of story from it.
In any case, the trailer is certain to get plenty of fans excited for the upcoming series,
especially since it's taken so long to see this project actually completed.
The star-studded "Sandman" cast list could even rival Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" in terms
of sheer celebrity wattage.
However, it took some time before the names involved in the project were revealed to the
world.
When they were, they arrived in a gigantic batch that had the internet chattering — for
better or for worse.
Neil Gaiman wrote the casting announcements, as well as a brief description of the characters
and why the chosen actors were right for the roles.
Introducing Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven, Gaiman disclosed an interesting detail about
the actor's casting, explaining how "The Sandman" team searched for someone who had the voice
acting abilities to make the audience invested in such a peculiar character and was also
a fan of the comic book series.
Gaiman revealed,
"Patton was the first person we asked, and the first person we cast.
The day before we pitched 'The Sandman' to Netflix."
Considering "The Sandman" and "Lucifer" are both Netflix properties featuring the same
character, many fans presumed that Tom Ellis would play the devilishly dapper Lord of Hell
in Dream's story.
However, when the casting news dropped, it was revealed that "Game of Thrones" actor
Gwendoline Christie had been cast as Lucifer instead.
Many people didn't understand why Ellis didn't get the role since he was exceptionally popular
as the character and already had an established fanbase.
This is especially true considering that the Netflix "Lucifer" series is based on the comic
by the same name, which was a direct spin-off of "The Sandman."
Answering these fan questions on Tumblr, Neil Gaiman addressed the reasons for Ellis' absence
from the series.
He replied,
"The theology and cosmogony of [Netflix's] 'Lucifer' is a long way from 'Sandman's'.
It's inspired by 'Sandman,' but you can't easily retrofit the 'Lucifer' version to get
back to 'Sandman,' if you see what I mean.
It seemed easier and more fun to have the 'Sandman' version of Lucifer be, well, much
closer to the 'Sandman' version of Lucifer."
Gaiman once again discussed the issue on his Twitter account, explaining how Ellis' version
of the character was too different by the end of the show and far more lovable than
"The Sandman" iteration.
In other words, Christie's Lucifer isn't meant to be very nice or affable.
Those who've read "The Sandman" know the series plays an important role in the overall DC
Universe.
It isn't uncommon to see Dream and the others interacting with characters such as Batman
or John Constantine.
Constantine appears early on in the Sandman comic series when he helps Dream reclaim his
magical pouch of dream sand shortly after escaping Burgess' imprisonment.
Many fans expected to see the character appearing in the series, perhaps even with Matt Ryan
reprising his role as the chain-smoking Hellblazer.
However, when the cast was announced, Jenna Coleman was revealed to be portraying Johanna
Constantine, with no mention of John in sight.
Considering that Coleman's character appears in the Sandman trailer adapting a scene from
the comics that starred John, the more rowdy part of the internet got into a tangle, believing
that the character had been gender-swapped for "The Sandman."
However, that simply isn't true.
Johanna was a character created by Neil Gaiman as a tribute and included in the original
"Sandman" comics.
In the comics, she's an ancestor of John and has her own intriguing backstory.
In all likelihood, Netflix also probably wasn't able to secure the rights to use John Constantine
in this series, since the character is tied up in other DC projects in various stages
of production.
We'll have to wait to see just how Johanna fits in with the series.
Before Desire was even cast, there had been many suggestions about who could play Dream's
rebellious sibling onscreen.
Many fans drew up their dream lists of potential actors for this pivotal part, and some performers
decided to put their names in the mix as well.
While Twitter might be a platform that's notorious for feeding the outrage machine, it can also
open doors and connect people in positive ways.
Just ask Mason Alexander Park.
As revealed by Neil Gaiman in the cast announcements for "The Sandman," Park reached out through
Twitter in the early stages of the casting process.
They certainly must have impressed Gaiman and the casting agents, since Park got the
part.
"The Sandman" has been a long time in the making.
Much like its characters, it has gone through various shapes and forms before finally settling
on a Netflix series.
As soon as the decision was made on what it would be, the casting process for the show
became one of the most important parts of the production process.
However, this wasn't a cut-and-dry case of approaching the big-name actors they had in
mind and auditioning for the rest.
Boyd Holbrook revealed to Collider that he had to go through a lengthy auditioning process
to secure the role of the Corinthian.
He explained,
"I read the script and they were really adamant about everyone auditioning, so I went in.
And then I didn't hear anything until probably like September or something like that.
Anyways it was a long process, and the conversation just started and they wanted to tape again
and they wanted me to meet with Neil [... and talk] about just how the show was going to
be done."
Boyd Holbrook wasn't the only one who had to endure a long auditioning process.
Tom Sturridge is another cast member who didn't walk into the room and get offered the role
on the spot.
While Sturridge might have an impressive list of credits, having appeared in "The Hollow
Crown," "Sweetbitter," and "Mary Shelley," he still had a long, hard road to travel before
being cast in "The Sandman."
While many actors wanted the role of Dream, there were two legitimate contenders that
Sturridge had to battle for the part.
According to Collider, "Poldark" and "American Gods" actor Tom York, and Colin Morgan, who
appeared in "Merlin" and "Belfast," were tested for the role and were given serious consideration.
Since York had worked on a previous Neil Gaiman adaptation, his fellow candidates for the
part of Dream must have been sweating that he'd be the frontrunner.
Fortunately for Sturridge, he impressed the right people and got the role in the end.
"You know.
The Sandman."
"He's a fairy story, Hettie."
"He's no fairy story.
He's back."
While "The Sandman" is positioned as a dark fantasy series, it does feature many thought-provoking
themes, especially about the meaning of life and death.
Anyone who has read the comics can attest to this.
For example: In "The Sandman" #13, Dream and an immortal man known as Hob meet up once
every hundred years to discuss humanity, death, and everything in between.
It's a thought-provoking series of conversations that makes the reader question many aspects
of their existence.
During a tour to discuss his career, Gaiman revealed to the audience that Episode 6 of
"The Sandman" made him cry.
He explained that even though he had written the scene and knew what was going to happen,
it hit him hard when he saw it replayed in live-action.
Perhaps the characters will dive deeper into the themes that will have us all experiencing
an existential crisis after watching the show.
The 2020 pandemic was a strange time.
Not only was there a lot of uncertainty around everything happening in the world, but it
also caused millions of people to spend more time at home.
Some decided to bake banana bread and experiment on TikTok, while others developed an unhealthy
obsession with Netflix's "Tiger King" series.
The production of "The Sandman" was also impacted by the pandemic.
Due to the travel bans and restrictions on in-person interactions, Netflix pushed development
timelines and had everyone wondering what would happen next.
Neil Gaiman revealed to Entertainment Weekly that Warner Bros. paid Tom Sturridge to not
take another role and stay on standby, even though it wasn't certain he would be cast
as Dream.
Additionally, Netflix decided to make use of the extra time and encouraged the casting
team to look at every single audition received.
Gaiman explained that he looked at over 1,500 auditions for Dream before the decision to
cast Sturridge was finally made.
Though fans may have wanted the series to arrive sooner, it seems like this casting
was a Dream come true.
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