Sandman appears to have finally found a home for a live-action adaptation. Say hello to Sandman on Netflix.
After years of stalled development, Sandman has reportedly been given a straight-to-series order at Netflix with what is described as the largest budget ever for a DC television property. Alan Heinberg (The Catch, Grey’s Anatomy) will write and serve as the showrunner on the series. Meanwhile, Neil Gaiman is onboard as executive producer along with David Goyer (Krypton).
Both Netflix and Warner Bros. TV declined to comment at this time as the deal has not been formalized, and there is no word as of yet on an episode count.
Sandman has been tossed around from project to project since the 1990s with the most recent attempt having involved Gaiman, Goyer, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. That version was to be a feature film, but it fell apart in March 2016 over creative differences between Levitt and the studio.
In Nov. 2016, Eric Heisserer, the screenwriter of the Levitt version, told iO9, “I … came to the conclusion that the best version of this property exists as an HBO series or limited series, not as a feature film, not even as a trilogy.” He went on to add, “The structure of the feature film really doesn’t mesh with this. So I went back and said here’s the work that I’ve done. This isn’t where it should be. It needs to go to TV.”
As anyone who has ever read Sandman can tell you, the idea of trying to condense the story to a film was always going to be a difficult task. And if the series decides to bring in all of Dream’s brothers and sisters, The Endless, then you can see where it quickly needs a much larger canvas to play on.
Netflix has been on a bit of a tear lately picking up adaptations of huge properties. A Magic the Gathering animated series is on the way, a live-action movie of The Division, as well as a live-action take on the beloved anime, Cowboy Bebop.
Will this finally be the adaptation of Sandman to make it to our screens? Only time will tell, but it definitely seems likely.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
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