Rachel Stewart
Don’t dream it’s over. After multiple false starts in development hell, it looks like Neil Gaiman’s cult classic comic Sandman will be headed to the small screen soon, thanks to a deal with Netflix, DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers Television.
Gaiman is no stranger to adaptations of his work, but Sandman always felt out of grasp even since the late 1990s, and Gaiman has commented to MTV in the past that he’d “much rather no Sandman movie were made than a bad Sandman movie were made… I do tend to feel that things come along and happen when the time is right.” The dark urban fantasy comic focuses on Morpheus, the King of Dreams and his siblings (Death, Destiny, Destruction, Desire, Delirium, and Despair) known collectively as the Endless.
With the shuttering of the Vertigo imprint, it seems DC along with Warner Brothers (who own the rights to the comic) may have decided this is a good a time as any to finally make a deal stick and this one’s with Netflix. In the past, a Sandman movie had been discussed with New Line Cinema, but the deal fell through. While the details are still to be ironed out, a few details are clear: Gaiman will serve as executive produce the show alongside David Goyer, who was previously attached to the movie deal. Allan Heinberg will serve as showrunner and writer for the series. Heinberg’s previous work includes Grey’s Anatomy and Wonder Woman.
Coming off the heels of Amazon Prime’s pitch-perfect adaptation of Good Omens, and a subdued second season of Starz’s American Gods, this feels like the last missing piece on the adaptation shelf for Gaiman and his fans. Netflix has been strategic when developing new properties or picking up classic series (see Neon Genesis Evangelion for starters), and this is a smart move to keep and gain subscribers.
