James R | On 25, Jul 2022

“Your waking world is shaped by dreams…” That’s the sound of The Sandman coming to our screens, and a new trailer gives us a closer look at what’s in store from Netflix’s adaptation.

Fresh from the series’ Comic-Con panel, the new trailer invites us into the world of Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic book series, which is set in the dangerous, irresistible realm of the Dreaming. The series 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.

The star-studded ensemble cast includes Tom Sturridge as Dream, Lord of the Dreaming, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Ruler of Hell, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, a charlatan, blackmailer and magician, and Asim Chaudry and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Abel and Cain, the first victim and the first predator, residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm. Kirby Howell-Baptiste will play Death, Jenna Coleman is Johanna Constantine, John Constantine’s great-great-great grandmother, David Thewlis will play John Dee, Ethel’s son, Joely Richardson will play Ethan Cripps, John Dee’s mother, Kyo Ra plays Rose Walker, a young woman on a desperate search for her missing brother, Ferdinand Kingsley as Hob Gadling and Stephen Fry plays Gilbert, Rose Walker’s debonair protector.

You can see them all in action on 5th August, when the series premieres on Netflix. Here’s the atmospheric new trailer:

 

Trailer: The Sandman arrives on Netflix this August

6th June 2022

The Sandman’s release date has finally been confirmed by Netflix, with the series for an August debut – and the first teaser announcing the premiere also gives us a proper taste of what to expect from the fantasy series.

A blend of modern myth and dark fantasy, the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s DC comic books 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.

The star-studded ensemble cast includes Tom Sturridge as Dream, Lord of the Dreaming, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Ruler of Hell, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, a charlatan, blackmailer and magician, and Asim Chaudry and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Abel and Cain, the first victim and the first predator, residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm. Kirby Howell-Baptiste will play Death, Jenna Coleman is Johanna Constantine, John Constantine’s great-great-great grandmother, David Thewlis will play John Dee, Ethel’s son, Joely Richardson will play Ethan Cripps, John Dee’s mother, Kyo Ra plays Rose Walker, a young woman on a desperate search for her missing brother, Ferdinand Kingsley as Hob Gadling and Stephen Fry plays Gilbert, Rose Walker’s debonair protector.

You can see them all in action on 5th August, when the series premieres on Netflix. Here’s the trailer announcing the air date, plus read on for some funky new posters.

 

 

Ferdinand Kingsley joins The Sandman as Hob Gadling

25th February 2022

Ferdinand Kingsley has officially joined the cast of Netflix’s The Sandman as Hob Gadling.

A blend of modern myth and dark fantasy, the Netflix series – based on Neil Gaiman’s DC comic books – 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. Gaiman is an Executive Producer and Co-Writer on the series, Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey’s Anatomy) serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner, while David S Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Terminator: Dark Fate, Foundation) serves as Executive Producer and Goyer and Heinberg are also Co-Writers on the project.

The show has assembled an impressive cast, including Tom Sturridge as Dream, Lord of the Dreaming, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Ruler of Hell, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, a charlatan, blackmailer and magician, and Asim Chaudry and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Abel and Cain, the first victim and the first predator, residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm. Kirby Howell-Baptiste will play Death, Dream’s wiser, nicer, and much more sensible sister, Jenna Coleman is Johanna Constantine, John Constantine’s great-great-great grandmother, David Thewlis will play John Dee, Ethel’s son, Joely Richardson will play Ethan Cripps, John Dee’s mother, Kyo Ra plays Rose Walker, a young woman on a desperate search for her missing brother, and Stephen Fry plays Gilbert, Rose Walker’s debonair protector.

Now, the actor playing the fan-favourite character of Gadling has been unveiled too. Gadling is a 14th-century soldier who chooses never to die – and end up living on, meeting up with Dream at 100-year intervals, making them (literally) very old friends. The casting of Kingsley, recently seen as Irving Thalberg in David Fincher’s Mank, was announced by Neil Gaiman in an interview with Empire magazine, revealing that Gadling will fist appear in Episode 6 of the series.

“More than anything else that we’ve done, except possibly Stephen Fry as Gilbert, it’s exactly the thing and the performance that I had in my head 35 years ago,” he said. “It’s just like, ‘Oh, there you go, there’s Hob Gadling.’ So Ferdie rocks.”

 

Watch: First look at Netflix’s The Sandman

26th September 2021

Between The Witcher and Cowboy Bebop, Netflix’s not short of genre fare to get fantasy and sci-fi fans excited – and while both of those were on show during the streamer’s online fan event, “TUDUM”, perhaps the most intriguing project previewed this weekend as Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, with a new video giving us a first look at the dark, mind-bending series.

The blend of modern myth and dark fantasy 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. Gaiman is an Executive Producer and Co-Writer on the series, Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey’s Anatomy) serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner, while David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Terminator: Dark Fate, Foundation) serves as Executive Producer and Goyer and Heinberg are also Co-Writers on the project.

The show, which was announced back in 2019, has already caught attention with its star casting, including Tom Sturridge as Dream, Lord of the Dreaming, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Ruler of Hell, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, a charlatan, blackmailer and magician, and Asim Chaudry and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Abel and Cain, the first victim and the first predator, residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm. Kirby Howell-Baptiste will play Death, Dream’s wiser, nicer, and much more sensible sister, Jenna Coleman is Johanna Constantine, John Constantine’s great-great-great grandmother, David Thewlis will play John Dee, Ethel’s son, Joely Richardson will play Ethan Cripps, John Dee’s mother, Kyo Ra plays Rose Walker, a young woman on a desperate search for her missing brother, and Stephen Fry plays Gilbert, Rose Walker’s debonair protector.

Previously, we’ve only had a behind-the-scenes look at the show’s world-building, but Gaiman, Sturridge and Howell-Baptiste were on hand yesterday to unveil a first video of what’ll end up on our screens. Here it is:

 

Watch: Behind-the-scenes sneak peek of The Sandman

8th June 2021

“I read The Sandman graphic novels, so I knew that I simply had to be involved.” That’s Gwendoline Christie talking about the new Netflix series

“It’s like walking around inside your own dream.” That’s Neil Gaiman’s reaction to seeing the sets for The Sandman, Netflix’s adaptation of his graphic novels.

The blend of modern myth and dark fantasy 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. Gaiman is an Executive Producer and Co-Writer on the series, Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey’s Anatomy) serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner, while David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Terminator: Dark Fate, Foundation) serves as Executive Producer and Goyer and Heinberg are also Co-Writers on the project.

The show, which was announced back in 2019, has already caught attention with its star casting, including Tom Sturridge as Dream, Lord of the Dreaming, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Ruler of Hell, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, a charlatan, blackmailer and magician, and Asim Chaudry and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Abel and Cain, the first victim and the first predator, residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm. Kirby Howell-Baptiste will play Death, Dream’s wiser, nicer, and much more sensible sister, Jenna Coleman is Johanna Constantine, John Constantine’s great-great-great grandmother, David Thewlis will play John Dee, Ethel’s son, Joely Richardson will play Ethan Cripps, John Dee’s mother, Kyo Ra plays Rose Walker, a young woman on a desperate search for her missing brother, and Stephen Fry plays Gilbert, Rose Walker’s debonair protector.

Now, Netflix is showing off the results in front of the camera too, with an early look behind the screens of the series, from set designs to props. The teaser was unveiled at Netflix’s Geeked Week, an online fan event featuring first looks and other news relating to Netflix’s genre programming.

 

Jenna Coleman, Patton Oswalt, Stephen Fry join Netflix’s The Sandman

26th May 2021

Netflix’s The Sandman is expanding its cast, with Jenna Coleman, Patton Oswalt, Stephen Fry and more joining the line-up.

The dark fantasy series, based on comic books created for DC by Neil Gaiman (Good Omens, Coraline), is a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven. It 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.

Gaiman is an Executive Producer and Co-Writer on the series, which is produced by Warner Bros Television. Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey’s Anatomy) serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner, while David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Terminator: Dark Fate, Foundation) serves as Executive Producer and Goyer and Heinberg are also Co-Writers on the project.

The project was announced back in 2019 with a cast unveiled at the start of the year, including Tom Sturridge as Dream, Lord of the Dreaming, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Ruler of Hell, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, a charlatan, blackmailer and magician, and Asim Chaudry and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Abel and Cain, the first victim and the first predator, residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm.

Now, a slew of additional stars have been officially confirmed.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste will play Death, Dream’s wiser, nicer, and much more sensible sister.

“Significantly harder to cast than you might imagine (well, than I imagined, anyway),” says Gaiman. “Hundreds of talented women from all around the planet auditioned, and they were brilliant, and none of them were right. Someone who could speak the truth to Dream, on the one hand, but also be the person you’d want to meet when your life was done on the other. And then we saw Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s audition and we knew we had our Death.”

Mason Alexander Park will play Desire, Dream’s sibling and everything you want, whatever you want and whoever you are. “Desire is also trouble for Dream. Families are complicated. We had barely started looking when Mason Alexander Park reached out on Twitter, and threw their hat into the ring. We were thrilled when they got the part,” says Gaiman.

Donna Preston will play Despair, Desire’s twin and Dream’s sister. She is the moment when all hope is gone, the bleakest of the Endless. “Donna will be playing her, and her performance is chilling and sad. You feel her pain,” says Gaiman.

Jenna Coleman is Johanna Constantine, 18th-century occult adventuress and John Constantine’s great-great-great grandmother. “This Sandman character became so popular that she even had her own spin-off series,” says Gaiman. “I created her to fill the role that John Constantine does in the past. When we broke down the first season, given that we knew that we would be encountering Johanna in the past, we wondered what would happen if we met a version of her in the present as well. We tried it and the script was sparkier, feistier, and in some ways even more fun. So having written her, we just had to cast her. Jenna Coleman gave us the Johanna of our dreams – tough, brilliant, tricky, haunted and probably doomed.”

Joely Richardson will play Ethan Cripps, Roderick Burgess’s love and John Dee’s mother. “It is a small but vital role in the comics,” explains Gaiman, “but she became more important as we told our story. In the 1920s and 30s, she is played by Niamh Walsh, a betrayed and determined young woman seeking to survive. In the present day, now a woman of a hundred identities and a thousand lies, she’s played by the brilliant Joely Richardson.”

David Thewlis will play John Dee, Ethel’s son, who Neil Gaiman describes as “dangerous”. “He was driven mad, long ago,” Gaiman continues. “Now he’s out and on a quest for Truth that may destroy the world. We needed an actor who could break your heart and keep your sympathy while taking you into the darkest places. We were lucky that David Thewlis took the part.”

Kyo Ra plays Rose Walker, a young woman on a desperate search for her missing brother, who finds a family she didn’t know that she had, and a connection to Dream that neither of them can escape. “We needed someone young who could make you care as she ventures into some very dangerous places. Boyd Holbrook’s Corinthian is waiting for her, after all,” says Gaiman.

Razane Jammal will play Lyta Hall, Rose’s friend, a young widow mourning her husband, Hector. “Rose doesn’t know that Hector has started showing up in Lyta’s dreams, though. Or that strange things are happening. Razane Jammal is terrific,” says Gaiman.

Sandra James young plays Unity Kinkaid, an heiress and Rose’s mysterious benefactor. “She has spent a century asleep. Now she’s awake, having missed out on her life,” says Gaiman.

Stephen Fry plays Gilbert, Rose Walker’s debonair protector, who is a dab hand with a paradox and a sword cane. “Stephen Fry is a National Treasure, and we forget sometimes that he’s also a remarkable actor,” says Gaiman. “Seeing him in costume and make-up on the dailies made me blink: it was as if the comic had come to life.”

And finally, Patton Oswalt will play Matthew, Dream’s trusted emissary. A raven. “I expected our animals to be CGI, and was both taken aback and thrilled when the dailies started coming in, and there was Dream talking to… well, a raven,” says Gaiman. “But ravens don’t really talk. The question was, could we find an actor who could make you care about a dead person who was now a bird in the Dreaming – one who isn’t certain what’s going on, or whether any of this is a good idea? And could we find a voice performer who was also the kind of Sandman fan who used to stand in line to get his Sandman comics signed? The answer was, we could if we asked Patton Oswalt. And Patton was the first person we asked, and the first person we cast, the day before we pitched The Sandman to Netflix.”

 

Netflix announces cast for The Sandman series

28th January 2021

Netflix has unveiled the cast for its new series The Sandman, and the ensemble is as star-studded as it gets.

Gwendoline Christie, Boyd Holbrook, Asim Chaudry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Charles Dance, Vivienne Acheampong and Tom Sturridge will all feature in the show, which is based on the DC comic books by Neil Gaiman.

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.

Gaiman is an Executive Producer and Co-Writer on the series, which is produced by Warner Bros Television. Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey’s Anatomy) serves as Executive Producer and Showrunner, while David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Terminator: Dark Fate, Foundation) serves as Executive Producer and Goyer and Heinberg are also Co-Writers on the project.

Gaiman says: “For the last thirty-three years, the Sandman characters have breathed and walked around and talked in my head. I’m unbelievably happy that now, finally, they get to step out of my head and into reality. I can’t wait until the people out there get to see what we’ve been seeing as Dream and the rest of them take flesh, and the flesh belongs to some of the finest actors out there. This is astonishing, and I’m so grateful to the actors and to all of The Sandman collaborators — Netflix, Warner Bros, DC, to Allan Heinberg and David Goyer, and the legions of crafters and geniuses on the show — for making the wildest of all my dreams into reality.”

Sturridge will play Dream, Lord of the Dreaming, Christie will play Lucifer, Ruler of Hell, Acheampong will play Lucienne, chief librarian and trusted guardian of Dream’s realm, Holbrook is The Corinthian, an escaped nightmare who wishes to taste all that the world has in store, Dance is Roderick Burgess, a charlatan, blackmailer and magician, and Chaudry and Bhaskar will play Abel and Cain, the first victim and the first predator, residents and loyal subjects of the Dream Realm.

 

Netflix’s Sandman to be set in modern day

23rd August 2020

Netflix’s Sandman series will be set in the modern day, Neil Gaiman has confirmed.

A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, the graphic novel 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.

Netflix confirmed an adaptation was in the works last summer, with Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey’s Anatomy) on board as the writer and showrunner, as well as exec producer alongside writers Gaiman and David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Krypton, Foundation).

Netflix ordered 10 episodes from producers Warner Bros. Television. Since then, the project has been halted by the coronavirus update, but it didn’t stop Neil Gaiman from giving fans an update last night as part of DC’s online event, DC FanDome.

Gaiman discussed the show in a panel with Dirk Maggs, G. Willow Wilson and Michael Sheen, noting that casting was starting up again and work was continuing and getting the scripts finely tuned. He also revealed that the show would take Sandman into the present day.

LWhat we’re doing with Netflix is saying ‘OK It’s still going to start in 1916, but the thing that happens in ‘Sandman’ 1, the point that the story starts is not 1988. It’s now,” he said. “How does that change the story? What does that make us have to look at that we wouldn’t have to look at if we were setting it as a period piece? What is that going to do to the gender of characters, what is that going to do to the nature of characters? What’s that going to do to the story?”

“That has been an absolute delight,” he added. “Because it means we are always being true to the story and being true to the characters. But it gives us tremendous freedom to go, ‘OK if we were doing it now what would ‘Sandman’ be?’ And that, again, is very liberating.”

 

Netflix officially announces The Sandman series

2nd July 2019

Netflix has officially confirmed that an adaptation of The Sandman is in the works.

Reports yesterday revealed that the streaming giant was in talks with a Warner Bros. to bring the comic book character, created by Neil Gaiman, to the screen. Now, Netflix has confirmed the show is on the way.

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.

Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey’s Anatomy) is the writer and showrunner, and will exec produce alongside writers Gaiman and David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Krypton, Foundation).

Gaiman, Heinberg and Goyer will co-write the first episode, with Netflix ordering 10 episodes from producers Warner Bros. Television.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the brilliant team that is Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg to finally bring Neil’s iconic comic book series, The Sandman, to life onscreen,” said Channing Dungey, VP, Original Series, Netflix. “From its rich characters and storylines to its intricately built-out worlds, we’re excited to create an epic original series that dives deep into this multi-layered universe beloved by fans around the world.”

 

Warner Bros. and Netflix team up for Sandman TV series

1st July

Warner Bros. and Netflix are reportedly teaming up for a Sandman TV series.

The Vertigo comic, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson, Shawn McManus, Marc Hempel, and Michael Zulli, was first published back in the 1980s and has been targeted for a screen adaptation for almost as many years. Back in 2013, David S. Goyer worked on a film based on the comic books, only for the project to fall apart. Now, Warner Bros. is having another bash, but this time, it’s got big hitters Netflix on board.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that a “massive” deal has been made for the show – a deal that would make it the biggest TV series DC Entertainment has ever done.
Gaiman will exec-produce alongside David Goyer, with Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, ABC’s The Catch, Grey’s Anatomy) set to write and serve as showrunner.

A formal deal hasn’t been closed and an official statement hasn’t yet been released, but THR reports that the project is headed straight to series.

What we do know is that the comic book is a fantasy horror legend that blends horror and history, following Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams and a number of other figures, including Destiny, Death, Destruction, Despair, Desire and Delirium.

It comes to the screen off the back of a number of successes for Gaiman, including American Gods for STARZ and Good Omens for Amazon Studios, where Gaiman now has a first-look deal in place.

THR reports that Warner Bros. went to multiple outlets, including HBO, with the TV show, but Netflix was the one that ultimately took the bite, as it looks to rival HBO’s Westworld and Watchmen and Amazon’s Lord of the Rings to find its own major genre franchise. Indeed, the streaming giant has, after parting ways with Marvel, since signed up deals with Millarworld, launched The Umbrella Academy, snapped up the rights to The Witcher and Magic: The Gathering, plus bought literary favourites The Chronicles of Narnia and the works of Roald Dahl.

Warner, meanwhile, has made a notable move in shopping Sandman elsewhere, rather than keeping it or its own in-house streaming platform, perhaps indicating just how expensive the production will be. Stay tuned for the official word from both parties.

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