The Sandman trailer shows Dream returning from captivity to reclaim his rightful throne as the King of Dreams.
The trailer begins with Dream (Tom Sturridge) wearing his infamous helm and manipulating a storm of sand before cutting to Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) on the street being questioned about the legitimacy of Dream. She passes it off as a “fairy story,” but that’s quickly disproven as we’re shown Dream breaking out of his prison and easily disposing of a guard whose bullets are rendered ineffective.
Dream transports away to his massive castle, where his trusted ally Lucien (Vivienne Acheampong) tells him that his realm has fallen into a state of disrepair, and he must reclaim his Totems of Power to return to full strength. The magical items include a pouch of sand, a ruby, and the helm, and to get them back he’ll encounter a cast of characters including the Endless, his family, and the other embodiments of the natural forces.
A scene shows Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) in a goth look walking through a field, Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie) with her devilishly playful personality, Desire (Mason Alexander) pleasantly admiring their reflection in the mirror, and Doctor Destiny (David Thewlis) staring at the ruby in his hand.
Fan-favorite the Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) was seen towards the end of the trailer in true nefarious form. He’s Dream’s created nightmare that’s gone rogue as an influential serial killer, and the scene shows him realizing that Dream is out of his cage, hinting at their inevitable confrontation.
Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is a critically-acclaimed graphic novel, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the adaption coming to Netflix, but news regarding it has been slim. Thankfully, fans now have a release date of Aug. 5, which should help make the wait that much easier.