Netflix is bringing The Sandman to its service next month. The live-action version of the Neil Gaiman project has been on a long course of development and star Tom Sturridge, who plays Morpheus/Dream, says his character goes through a long process, too.
In a new article published by Screen Rant, the actor comments on what to expect from the series. Essentially, his character begins the work detached from others and only starts to learn empathy from his sister, who is the embodiment of Death.
I think a really important part of the story of our season is his discovery of that humanity. I think he doesn’t necessarily begin the way that he ends. It’s a quest. He is powerless at the beginning and he requires the help of humans to regain that power. In doing so, he listens to them. His sister Death also educates him on how extraordinary it is to try and feel [for] someone who isn’t you. And I think that’s the birth of his empathy.
Sturridge does not reveal anything else about the show in the report. Attempts to adapt The Sandman began in earnest in 1996. While versions of the work in film did not come to pass, the Netflix take being on TV doesn’t stop it from having a star-studded cast. Gwendoline Christie plays Lucifer Morningstar, David Thewlis is Dr. John Dee, Patton Oswalt is Matthew the Raven and Mark Hamill is Mervyn Pumpkinhead. It is not known if the project will have a second season and its initial season has an order of 10 episodes.
The Sandman season one releases this Friday