Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is being developed at Netflix as a TV series

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

There are plenty of comic book and graphic novel adaptations in development purgatory, with one of the most infamous being the beloved Neil Gaiman work, “The Sandman.” Many have tried and failed to bring the series from DC Comics/Vertigo to the big screen since the 90s, but now fans can look forward to finally seeing the beloved creation hit small screens everywhere as it will get the TV series treatment from Netflix.

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According to THR, Warner Bros. Television signed a deal with Netflix to develop a series for the streaming service in what’s being called the most expensive television project to date for DC Entertainment. Allan Heinberg (WONDER WOMAN, GREY’S ANATOMY) will write and work as showrunner on the series with Gaiman and David Goyer executive producing.

This development for TV comes after years and years and years of many creative types trying to adapt the series for a movie, but many bowed out of the project for various reasons. Among the most recent attempts came from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was on board to star in and direct the movie, but left due to “creative differences.” ARRIVAL’s Eric Heisserer also took a crack, but funny enough, said in 2016 that he “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” (per io9). There's no episode count for the series yet or a release date, but Netflix has a tendency to keep their series between 8-13 episodes, so expect something in that range. 

Several works from Gaiman have found their home on TV of late, with his book AMERICAN GODS getting a series treatment on Starz while another book, GOOD OMENS, just aired on Amazon Prime. Both projects attracted stars like Ian McShane, David Tennant, and Michael Sheen, and have been met with mostly positive reception from fans and critics.

The first issue of the main “Sandman” series debuted in November 1988 (cover-dated January 1989) and ran until to 1996 across 75 issues. The story centers on a character named Dream, also going by Morpheus, the Lord of Dreaming and other names, and is one of the seven Endless, which also includes Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction. At the start, Dream had been held captive for the last 70 years, and after escaping begins to rebuild his crumbled empire, and despite the character’s darker nature eventually takes on the role of a tragic hero. 

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This deal comes at Netflix attempts to expand its catalog of movies and TV into more expensive, blockbuster territory. Mostly known for smaller dramas, comedies and the occasional rom-com hit, Netflix has recently acquired the rights to make TV shows from the popular "Magic: The Gathering" game, as well as the beloved "Chronicles of Narnia" series. Not to mention they've flooded money into movies as well, like over $150 million for the movie with Ryan Reynolds and director Michael Bay, SIX UNDERGROUND. This comes as other networks and services like HBO, Amazon Prime and Disney+ throw money at other event series like GAME OF THRONES, WATCHMEN (both HBO), LORD OF THE RINGS (Amazon) and shows from the world of Marvel and Star Wars (Disney). 

While I haven't seen AMERICAN GODS yet I did just finish up GOOD OMENS, which was a fun series despite some bumps in the road, and Tennant and Sheen deserve all the love in the world for their leading work. As successful as those adaptations have been, "Sandman" seems like a whole different beast, while a whole world of mythology to work from. Not mention there's a massive legion of fans who would gather their torches and pitchforks should it not turn out right, so all I can say is good luck to all involved, and we will all be watching how this comes together very closely.