Looks likeCoralineandAmerican Godsauthor Neil Gaiman’s classic Vertigo comicThe Sandmanis finally heading to a screen near you soon. Yes, it seems thatWonder WomanandGrey’s Anatomywriter Allan Heinberg will serve as the showrunner and head writer for the new Netflix series with Gaiman serving as the show’s executive producer alongsideThe Dark KnightandBladescreenwriter David S. Goyer.
Evidently, this live-actionThe Sandmanseries will be the most expensive TV seriesDC Entertainmenthas ever done, although Netflix has declined to comment at the moment. The (current) streaming giant supreme snatched up the rights to this live-action series after Warner Bros. took the TV pitch to HBO who did not make a play for the series, given the massive price tag attached. But wouldn’t you just know it? The enormous price tag for thisThe Sandmanseries didn’t seem to bother Netflix one little bit, and thestreaminggiant snatched up the rights quick, fast, and in a hurry.
And this kind of makes sense, considering that, since Marvel has pulled out of their deal with the streaming platform, Netflix has been on the hunt for the most significant projects they can get their hands on. Some of these considerable IPs includeMagic: The Gathering,The Chronicles of Narniaand the works of Roald Dahl, author of such classic kid’s books asCharlie and the Chocolate FactoryandThe BFGamong others.
This newNetflix seriescomes on the heels of Hollywood trying to turn the comic into a movie since as far back as I can remember. The last attempt was back in 2013 when it really did seem like Gaiman andThe Dark Knight Risesand500 Days of Summeractor Joseph Gordon-Levitt were going to get the movie up on the big screen. Gordon-Levitt was all set to star in the film and direct the flick withArrivalandA Nightmare on Elm Street 2010screenwriter Eric Heisserer penning the script. But then that all fell through in 2016 when Gordon-Levitt and Heisserer left due to creative differences. Before that, though Warner Bros. went through multiple incarnations and writers in the 1990s and early 2000s - but, obviously, nothing came of those attempts either.
For those of you out there that might not know, TheNeil GaimancomicThe Sandmancenters on the seven Endless who rule over the world of dreams. They include characters such as Dream, Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction. The story is about how Dream - who is, you know, The Lord of Dreams - is captured and subsequently learns that sometimes change is inevitable. The DC Comics/Vertigo comic book series ran for 75 issues from January 1989 to March 1996.The Sandmanwas Vertigo’s flagship title and is one of the first few graphic novels - along withMaus,Watchmen, andThe Dark Knight Returns- to ever to be on the New York Times Best Seller list.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman’sThe Sandmanand pass along further word as we hear it. Meanwhile, this story comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
