One of the biggest shows that came to Netflix in 2022 was Sandman based on DC comic books. Here is a guide that is updated for all known so far about the upcoming Netflix Show.
For decades, the seminal comic Neil Gaiman, Sandman was considered unfilitary.
Of course, there are some attempts who try to bring them to the big screen and small screens – but Gaiman keeps shooting them, waiting for his time for the perfect opportunity. Especially, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gaiman worked on film adaptation in 2014 which eventually fell apart because of creative differences. However, when Netflix approached Gaiman with the willingness to faithfully hand over comics, along with a large budget and a star player promise, it was difficult to say no.
In July 2019, Streamer issued a press release that confirmed that they were a network that was brave enough to move forward with the live-action adaptation of the Sandman graphics novel. In fact, in making it, they will also break the record for the most expensive TV shows of DC Entertainment ever produced. With Showrunner Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) and producer David S. Goyer (Batman began, The Dark Knight) and Gaiman, the dream team was assembled.
What is Sandman on Netflix and why do you have to be excited?
Sandman is a story that goes beyond space and time, taking us beyond the earth to mythical and strange nature. It’s packed with iconic figures – both historically and legend – that you might get used to it. For example, you will find William Shakespeare, Thor, Orpheus, and so many other people arise. And then, remembering his place in DC Universe, expecting a sporadic appearance from DC Canon, including Martian Manhunter and John Constantine. It also brings some less known DC characters, from the girl element to Hall Hall.
All 10 volumes of comics attended their endless titular character dreams, also known as Morpheus, Kai’ckul, Sandman, and other names of countless numbers. His name – Likewise his appearance – Change depends on who looks at him. We joined him on his journey, watching him play his duty as a dream ruler, and watching when his past mistake again haunted him.
In September, the Netflix Tudum event offered us the right first display on the show in the action (after the first view behind the scenes in Geeked Week in June 2021). While just short, the teaser displays the opening to all saga: Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance) and Occult fellow in ancient mysterious order do rituals to capture and imprison death. However, the ritual did not work according to plan as a dream (Tom Sturridge) was arrested than his sister, so kicking the series:
How many episodes are there in Sandman? What comics will be protected by Sandman Netflix?
Season 1 of Sandman will consist of 11, episodes during hours.
It includes the volume of one “Prelude and Nocturnes,” volume of two “doll houses” and the first half of the volume three, “dream country.” The hope is, of course, is to adapt all graphic novels without shows accessed in the middle – something Netflix has collected a reputation for years. I mean, take reception of recently from Cowboy Bebop, for example. That said, Gaiman previously stated that there were various safety nets to prevent such occurrences.
The official series synopsis of Netflix reads: “The combination of a rich in modern myths and dark fantasies where contemporary fiction, historic drama, and legend is stunned, Sandman follows people and places that are influenced by Morpheus, which he needs cosmic and human mistakes He made during his extensive existence. “
If you are both worried about Sandman not sticking close to source material; Do not. If the teaser is something that must be passed, it will stick closely with the original narrative. Netflix even released a fairly neat comparison, just to set aside some worries.
Fans have, however, taken concern over the fact that Dream does not have stars in place of his eyes, one of his most significant features in the comics. The reason for this purely comes down to the fact that the stars do not convey Dream’s emotion as much as regular eyes.
Who are The Endless in The Sandman and which actors play them?
Dream is one of a group of seven cosmic entities known as the Endless. Basically, they’re anthropomorphic personifications of concepts and ideas essential for life. Dream’s six siblings are Death, Desire, Destiny, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction. As expected, Netflix is sparing no expense with this adaptation. Firstly, let’s take a look at the seven Endless and have a brief rundown of who they are and who’s playing them. Bear in mind that some of these characters are yet to be cast.
Dream, played by Tom Sturridge: The titular character of the series. Dream is a dour and mopey entity who rules over his realm, The Dreaming, the place where everyone goes when they fall asleep. Like many of his siblings, Dream can be recognized by his pale skin and his three totems of power: A ruby, a pouch of sand, and his helm forged from the bones of a dead God.
Death, played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste: Perhaps the breakout character of the entire series, Death is Dream’s older, wiser sister. Death is a fun, upbeat goth, her personality is the perfect contrast to her brother. While her appearance changes throughout the series, she can always be seen wearing an Ankh, with an Eye of Horus under her eye.
Desire, played by Mason Alexander Park: An antagonist of the series, Desire is everything you want. They are neither a man nor a woman, and their domain is called the Threshold; a literal statue of itself. Desire smells of summer peaches, is usually wearing white, and has a sigil of a heart of broken glass.
Despair, played by Donna Preston: Desire’s twin Despair is a sorry sight: a naked, portly, pale woman who is almost always bleeding due to a hooked ring she uses to mutilate herself. If there’s one member of the Endless you would not want to meet, it’s her.
Delirium, not yet cast: Living very much in a world of her own, bursting with colour, Delirium is most often cheerful and enthusiastic, but also has a very strong temperament. What she says rarely makes any sense, nor refers to the topic of conversation. Delirium was once Delight but changed over time with no explanation. This has remained a mystery throughout the entire series.
Destiny, not yet cast: Destiny is a man who knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen. He lives in the center of an impossible hedge maze, where all paths lead. Although he is blind, he carries an enormous tome — the Book of Souls — bound to his body with chains. The book chronicles everything that happens, across all time. Well, things have happened that Destiny’s book has missed, but that’s a story for another day.
Destruction, not yet cast: Strongly built and immensely powerful, he who is Destruction brings upon, well, destruction and change. However, Destruction is the only one of the Endless to have abandoned his position after realizing that he is not needed for humanity to fulfill his role. Instead, Destruction lives out his days in peace and tranquility, creating works of art, without the need for his sword. It remains unlikely that we’ll see him in the Netflix show since his first appearance in the comics doesn’t arrive until volume 7, “Brief Lives.”
Now let’s take a look at some of the other castings and have a character breakdown for each member:
Lucifer, played by Gwendoline Christie: Best known for her portrayal of Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones, Christie now becomes Lucifer, the Ruler of Hell. Yes, this is technically the same character played by Tom Ellis in the Lucifer TV show. However, The Sandman takes place in its own continuity, hence why it’s Christie instead. Lucifer is prominent in the first volume, “Preludes and Nocturnes,” and shows up periodically throughout the series.
Roderick Burgess, played by Charles Dance: Burgess is the leader of the Order of Ancient Mysteries. He is the one who kicks the saga off with his futile attempt to capture and imprison Death. Looking at the teaser, Charles Dance seems to portray him perfectly.
Lucienne, played by Vivienne Acheampong: One significant change from the source material sees Lucien become Lucienne. In the comics, Lucien is the resident pointy-eared librarian of The Dreaming. He keeps records of every book that’s ever been imagined, regardless of whether it was written down.
Cain (Sanjeev Bhaskar) and Abel (Asim Chaudhry): Cain is the first predator and Abel is the first victim. Yes, they’re the same as the biblical figures. Both are inhabitants of The Dreaming. Cain occupies within the House of Mystery while Abel lives in the House of Secrets. The duo act as a comic relief, seeing Cain continuously kill Abel in horrific ways, but he never stays dead. While Cain is sadistic and cruel, Abel is friendly and gentle. It’s pretty brutal in the comics, I can only imagine how it will play out on-screen.
The Corinthian, played by Boyd Holbrook: As there is a dream, so too must there be a nightmare. And the Corinthian is exactly that. Created by Dream, the Corinthian is as cruel as they come. For instance, in one issue, “Collectors,” he forms his own serial killer convention. Of course, one cannot talk about him without mentioning his most distinct feature: sets of teeth in place of his eye sockets.
Johanna Constantine, played by Jenna Coleman: Rather than popular DC occultist John Constantine, Netflix’s Sandman has instead opted to go with Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine. In the comics, Johanna is an ancestor of John, but the show appears to have given her the storyline of John. Dream seeks Johanna to assist him in recovering his pouch of sand.
Matthew the Raven, voiced by Patton Oswalt: Matthew is another character Neil Gaiman took from the wider DC universe and developed in his comics. Before Matthew became a Raven of the Dreaming, he first appeared as Matthew Cable in Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing comics. Matthew is Dream’s loyal messenger.
John Dee, played by David Thewlis: John Dee, aka Doctor Destiny, is the main antagonist in volume one. After coming into possession of the Dreamstone while Morpheus was imprisoned, he seeks to terrorize the world. Issue #6, in which he uses the ruby to take control of a group in a diner, is recognized as one of the most disturbing comics in DC history. This same storyline will play out in episode 5 of the TV show. You’ve been warned.
Lyta Hall, played by Razane Jammal: One of the lesser-known characters in DC canon, Lyta Hall is the daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. Lyta becomes involved in the story when her child, Daniel, is formed inside the Dreaming.
Ethel Cripps, played by Joley Richardson (Old) and Niamh Walsh (Young): Ethel Cripps is the mother of John Dee. She was a member of the Order of Ancient Mysteries and the former love interest of Roderick Burgess.
Rose Walker, played by Kyo Ra: Rose Walker is a Vortex — which has been passed through her lineage. In “The Doll’s House,” Rose travels to England and meets her grandmother Unity.
Unity Kinkaid, played by Sandra James Young: When Dream was captured by Roderick Burgess, it caused a worldwide “sleepy sickness” pandemic. One of those who fell ill from this disease was Unity Kinkaid. Whilst she was in a unwakable sleep, she was raped by Desire. Fast forward decades and Rose Walker is her granddaughter.
Gilbert, played by Stephen Fry: Gilbert is not a person, it is a place called Fiddler’s Green. It is a part of The Dreaming. When Dream was imprisoned, Fiddler’s Green escaped his realm and lived in the Waking World as a wise man named Gilbert.
What should the players say about Sandman?
In bringing these characters to life, the cast has great responsibility, and they are sure. Almost everyone in the actor plays a character that has never been described in previous direct actions. With filming finished, actors can now talk about their experiences and start building hype. For example, during the Sandman segment at the Netflix Tudum event, two stars – Tom Sturridge (Dream) and Kirby Howell-Baptism (Death) – it took a while to weigh the show.
First, Howell-Baptiste talked about how my favorite death for many people. Death is a favorite character of fans, and one of the most routine cosplay characters of geeks throughout the world. This is what he said:
“Endless death is, to say the least, characters with deep inheritance that have brought real comfort to many people. This role is the responsibility and privilege and I can promise you that I do not consider it mild.”
In addition, in graphic novels, the character of death is everyone’s super cool gother. And as we know from the dramatization of Sandman listeners, Kat Dennings with extraordinary deaths with American accents. However, British actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste has revealed that in the Netflix version, keeping the English accent. “I don’t know that the death cosmic entity is bound to the place on this earth,” he told Collider. “But I am a British so in this iteration, yes, death is Brit.”
As expected, Tom Sturridge shared similar thoughts about playing titular characters. “When I found out I was asked to play a dream, I was scared for a moment like this because I knew how important he was for you, just because of how important he was,” he said.
Also, it turns out that Gwendoline Christie is familiar with the source material, something really helped her decide to audition for this project:
“I read the Sandman graphic novel, so I knew that I just had to get involved in this project because something truly unique would happen.”
Obviously, everyone involved is very excited about this project. This reflects what Neil Gaiman has reaffirmed many times: this is Sandman made by people who love Sandman.
Behind the Netflix screen is Sandman
Blessed Sandman Netflix has one of the biggest set designers in business in Jon Gary Steele. These are the same people who build a noble and expansive set for outlanders and countless other projects. When you bring a dream to life, there are no better people to rent. And if you see the teaser behind the Netflix screen released, you will see some of his noble work. In the words Neil Gaiman: “Holy SH * t.”
Let’s look at some of the highlights of the teaser behind the scenes, starting with Gaiman Marveling in undercroft.
Furthermore, look at a glance in the “cereal convention,” which truly is a convention for serial killers founded by Corinth.
It still consists of four different sets of sets. One of them clearly showed a restaurant where John Dee controlled several innocent people. Others appear to show dreams visit Lucifer.
Finally, here is a closer look at Dream Three Power Totems – Helmets, Ruby, and Pockets of Sand – on Live-Action.
Will the Sandman Crossover with Netflix Locke & Key?
Of course, because Sandman and Locke & Key are both being carried out by Netflix, some fans call for a crossover event. Especially because comics have crossed with Locke & Key: hell and pass. But if you are wondering whether Crossover is decent, Locke & Key makes Joe Hill have a rumor squashed. “I have seen several articles now tempting the possibility of Locke & Key / Sandman Crossover on Netflix & thought I would jump to check ClickBait. No! “Hill wrote on his Twitter page.” Like most Sandman hardcores I look forward to big, sweeping, loyal adaptation of Neil’s story. Can’t wait. “
Is Netflix is Sandman has a release date?
Sandman began filming on October 2020. Of course, the pandemic caused a significant delay, giving it later. Until now, the main photography was completed and the team worked on post-production. Unfortunately, we don’t have a release date, but Netflix has included a show in their lineup for 2022. It is safe to assume that it will be released around April or 2022. When the debut season only covers a little less than three volumes, there is a lot of potential for more.
Indeed, there is already a very successful adaptation of comics. We cannot talk about Sandman without mentioning an extraordinary audible, dramatization of the New York Times audio. Directed by Dirk Maggs and narrated by Neil Gaiman, this audiobook displays the Gips Ensemble All-Star including James McAvoy (Dream), Dennings (Death), Riz Ahmed (The Corinthian), and Andy Serkis (Matthew). Let’s hope that the Netflix version can follow the mighty in his mighty. One thing is certain, the show has put itself in a fantastic position for success.
That’s all we have on Netflix is Sandman for now. Tell us in the comments if you look forward to the coming adaptation.