Netflix's TV adaptation of the Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman and various artists now has a cast. The show, which reportedly began filming in secret late last year, is the first live-action adaptation of the best-selling Vertigo comic series, which originally ran from 1989 to 1996.
Actor Tom Sturridge (Velvet Buzzsaw) is playing Dream – the lord of the Dreaming – who is Sandman's main protagonist. Actress Vivienne Acheampong (The Witches) is playing Lucienne, the librarian who guards Dream's realm. Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, Mank) is playing Roderick Burgess, who in the comics manages to capture Dream. Cain and Abel will be played by British TV mainstays Asim Chaudhry and Sanjeev Bhaskar. Boyd Holbrook (Logan) is playing The Corinthian, "an escaped nightmare".
Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), meanwhile, plays Lucifer. That's everyone who's been announced so far.
Sandman is a dark fantasy comic that's about Dream – or Morpheus – who's one of the Endless, and essentially represents the concept of dreaming. Hence, 'Sandman'. Numerous attempts have been made to adapt the comics, which is a complicated job, but Netflix started filming this show late last year.
Here's an official logline for the show from Netflix: "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."
Writer Allan Heinberg is behind the Sandman adaptation on Netflix, with Gaiman and David Goyer executive producing. It doesn't have a release date yet.
Why this is a big deal
Even though the Sandman comics ended 25 years ago, interest in the series has never waned – the paperback collected editions of the comics have been selling non-stop ever since, and Gaiman's rising profile has brought more and more attention to the books.
DC Comics, which publishes the books, has leaned into that success – in the last few years, an array of new Sandman-adjacent series were launched, with Gaiman's involvement.
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