It’s time for Sandman to wake up and smell the coffee.
Neil Gaiman–writer and co-creator of the longtime DC Comics horror comic book–this week tweeted that production on the Netflix TV series will start in three weeks, as reported by comicbook.com. That timetable–which is probably contingent on the vagaries of this coronavirus-plagued year–means cameras will start rolling in mid-October.
This adaptation–slated for an 11-episode first season to air sometime in 2021–has been in the works (and on the minds of fans) for more than a year now. Production was originally to start back in May, but COVID-19 ruined those plans.
But now, according to Gaiman’s tweet, that wait is almost over. “It’s starting to feel real,” Gaiman wrote. “We begin shooting in three weeks, lockdowns permitting.” The post also included a photo of the first episode’s script.
It's starting to feel real. We begin shooting in 3 weeks, lockdowns permitting. #SandmanonNetflix pic.twitter.com/B4QKU9NooT
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 27, 2020
British director Toby Haynes has been rumored to helm some episodes of Season 1 of Sandman, but casting choices are being kept secret at this time.
The Netflix adaptation, Gaiman said, will modernize the original storyline in the comic books. “OK, let’s say I was doing Sandman starting in 2020, what would we do? How would we change things? Who would this person be? What would be happening?” Gaiman asked himself.
Gaiman added that getting to a place where long-form storytelling is an advantage was good for this new series. “The fact that we have seventy-five issues of Sandman is a really good thing,” he said. “It’s not a drawback–it’s on our side (added to) the fact that we’re in a world in which we can take things that only existed in comic book art and that can now exist in reality.”
The Sandman series on Netflix will be written by Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman), with Gaiman, Heinberg and David S. Goyer acting as executive producers. The scripts will be based on the Sandman comic, which features the character of Dream (aka Morpheus), one of the Endless, who rules over the World of Dreams while trying to atone for the mistakes he has made over his vast existence.
Keep reading Horror News Network for more updates on casting and production schedules for Sandman on Netflix.
