‘The Sandman’ Trailer: Neil Gaiman’s Beloved Graphic Novels (Finally) Come to Life

Christian Zilko
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Few non-superhero comics are as beloved as Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman,” so expectations were high when Netflix brought its upcoming TV show based on the series to San Diego Comic-Con. But based on early footage, the adaptation is off to a good start.

The panel featured sneak previews of several important scenes. First, they showed David Thewlis as a foreboding figure that strikes up a conversation with his server at a remote diner. Then viewers got a peek at Tom Sturridge as Morpheus and Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine in a scene where the latter performs a wedding that quickly turns into an exorcism. Finally, fans got a look at an iconic scene from the comics, where Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) sits next to Morpheus and calls him “literally the stupidest, most self-centered, appallingest excuse for an anthropomorphic personification on this or any other planet.”

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“The Sandman” was developed and produced by David S. Goyer, Allan Heinberg, and Neil Gaiman. It stars Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Vanesu Samunyai (formerly known as “Kyo Ra”), John Cameron Mitchell, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joely Richardson, Niamh Walsh, Sandra James-Young and Razane Jammal.

According to Netflix’s official synopsis, the show begins “when the Sandman, aka Dream (Tom Sturridge) — the powerful cosmic being who controls all our dreams — is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for over a century, he must journey across different worlds and timelines to fix the chaos his absence has caused.”

This is far from the first attempt to adapt Gaiman’s beloved fantasy series into a movie or show. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was notably developing a film adaptation of the graphic novels, which was intended to be his sophomore directorial outing after the success of “Don Jon.” That project, like many other attempted “Sandman” adaptations, never materialized. Gaiman has been open about the fact that he turned down many opportunities to take the story to Hollywood because he didn’t believe in the creative visions behind the projects. The fact that he said yes to Netflix should inspire confidence in longtime fans of the comics.

“The Sandman” begins streaming on Netflix on August 5. Watch the official trailer below:

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