After thirty years, The Sandman is finally coming to screens. Neil Gaiman’s epic dark fantasy DC comic book is widely agreed to be one of the finest examples of its medium, and now Netflix is attempting to adapt its brilliance for TV. That might be a tall order, but fans have been thrilled with what they’ve seen of the show so far, although there’s much that’s been kept out of the marketing. This new image, however, reveals a new look at a key location.
As shared by Empire Magazine, the promo pic (see the gallery below) showcases Tom Sturridge’s Morpheus, aka the Lord of Dreams aka the eponymous Sandman, in his native realm, the Dreaming. He’s flanked by Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong), the land’s librarian — a gender-flipped version of the comics’ Lucien.
While speaking to Empire, Gaiman — who serves as executive producer alongside David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg — promised that the TV series will offer viewers a unique experience with each episode, teasing that one installment might be “dark and traumatic” while the next will be life-affirming and feelgood.
“You watch Episode 1 and think, ‘Oh, I get this thing: it’s like Downton Abbey, but with magic,’” he says. “Then you’ll be wondering, ‘What the hell is this?’ by Episode 2, when you’re meeting Gregory The Gargoyle in The Dreaming. Episode 5 is about as dark and traumatic as anything is ever gonna get, then you’ve got Episode 6, which is probably the most feel-good of all the episodes.”
Gaiman went on to contrast it with other popular fantasy series, like Game of Thrones, saying that Sandman reinvents itself every time.
“If you didn’t like an episode of Game Of Thrones, you probably won’t like any other episode of Game Of Thrones,” reasons Gaiman. “With Sandman, it’s all about surprising you. It’s all about reinventing itself. It’s all about taking you on a journey you’ve not been on before.”
The incredible ensemble cast for The Sandman also includes Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim Chaudry as Cain and Abel, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Stephen Fry as Gilbert, Jenna Colman as Johanna Constantine, David Thewlis as Doctor Destiny, and Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven.
The Sandman season one is set to consist of eleven episodes and adapts the first two comic book volumes, Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House. A release date has yet to be revealed, but it is definitely coming to Netflix sometime in 2022.
