After years and years of waiting, a live-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic book seriesThe Sandmanhas finally started filming. Gaiman himself took to social media to confirm that filming had now begun, as well as teasing that casting announcements were imminent.
“Oh, we started shooting on Thursday. Dr John Hathaway has brought a book from the museum in which he works, to Roderick Burgess. But you’re right, it’s going to be time toannounce some casting soon.”
There have been several attempts over the last few decades to bring theNeil GaimanclassicThe Sandmanto both the big and small screen, with the upcoming Netflix production finally winning the day. It sounds like the series has started where these things usually do, at the beginning, with filming involving Dr. John Hathaway and Roderick Burgess, whose tampering with the spirit world leads to the accidental imprisonment of the titular Sandman AKA Dream and the jumping off point for the rest of the saga.
While no official casting announcements have yet been made, recent reports claimed that the series was close to signing on British actor Tom Sturridge as the lead character, Dream. Reportedly, Sturridge auditioned for the role earlier in the year and beat outPoldark’sTom York andMerlin’sColin Morgan. Looking beyond the lead, recent rumors have also suggested thatThe Hunger Gamesstar Liam Hemsworth andStranger Things star Dacre Montgomerywere being sought-after to play one of the main villains of the piece, The Corinthian, one of the many nightmarish creations of Dream. According to Gaiman, we won’t have to wait long to find out if any of these rumors and reports are true.
The upcomingNetflix seriesis based on the seminal Neil Gaiman graphic novelThe Sandman, which originally ran for 75 issues from 1989-1996. The story ofThe Sandmanfollows the main character Dream, also known as Morpheus (among other names), a conceptual entity struggling with his place in the universe. He is one of the seven Endless, with the other Endless being Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, formerly Delight, and Destruction.The Sandmanis a story about the power of stories and how they can evolve, and how Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, is captured and subsequently learns that change is often inevitable.
According to Netflix,The Sandmanwill be “a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama, and legend are seamlessly interwoven, The Sandman follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic-and human-mistakes he’s made during his vast existence.”
Neil Gaiman is on board as an executive producer on the show alongside David S. Goyer, with the pair also co-writing the series along withWonder Womanwriter Allan Heinberg. Earlier this year the series addedBlack Mirrorcinematographer George Steel, andBlack MirrorandSherlockdirector Toby Haynes to the promising roster. The first season will consist of 11 episodes and will cover the firstThe Sandmangraphic novel,Preludes & Nocturnes. No premiere date forThe Sandmanhas yet been announced by Netflix. This news comes to us courtesy ofNeil Gaiman’s official Twitter account.
