Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is one of the most well-regarded comics of all time. 75 issues were released between 1989 and 1996 telling the story of the Endless, an immortal family that personifies basic elements of reality. The focus is on the Lord of Dreams (aka Morpheus/Dream/The Sandman), whose journey takes him across history, through weird dimensions and into hell itself. Many attempts have been made to adapt it over the years, but Netflix has succeeded where everyone else has failed and the show has now been filming for two months.
The strange thing is that we still don’t know much about it. Right now, the only things we can say for certain is that it’s happening, that Gaiman is involved and that the initial season will adapt the first book. What remains a mystery is who’s starring in it, which is intriguing, as Netflix tends to announce casting early so as to start building hype.
Gaiman certainly isn’t giving out any clues, either. When a fan posted a comment about the lack of info, he responded with the following:
I'm proud of all involved. https://t.co/v6GDI78Fqv
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) December 7, 2020
The one hint we have is a report from Collider back in September that named Far from the Madding Crowd, Sweetbitter and Velvet Buzzsaw star Tom Sturridge as winning the role of Morpheus after Gaiman watched hundreds of auditions from other actors. Still, that’s unconfirmed and we’ve got absolutely no idea who else is on board.
Though COVID-19 resulted in a delay to the show, it may end up as a blessing in disguise, as it reportedly gave Gaiman and the writing team the opportunity to fine-tune the scripts. It’s been said that they’re following the first comic arc, which sees Morpheus released from a century of imprisonment and returning to his kingdom. However, Gaiman has confirmed that the show will be set in the modern day, meaning there’ll be adjustments to the story so it makes sense for 2020 rather than 1988.
Let’s hope we get some kind of official announcement on The Sandman casting soon, as I want to finally meet the live-action Endless.