There is little doubt that The Sandman took a long time being stuck in production hell before it finally got reimagined into a Netflix series. However, Neil Gaiman assures fans that it will be well worth the wait. After all, every step that Gaiman took with the upcoming show was inspired by none other than Howard the Duck!
Back in 1986, there were huge expectations of Howard the Duck considering that the live-action adaptation of the Marvel comic had George Lucas as its executive producer (Lucasfilm also produced the film). However, the movie fell flat due to numerous changes (it was initially set to be an animated feature) and has gone on to be considered one of the worst films of all time.
So what about this terrible adaptation that served as an inspiration to Neil Gaiman? The American Gods author told Total Film that he was determined not to repeat the same mistakes with The Sandman.
"It may sound silly, but when I was 14 or 15, my favorite comic was Howard the Duck," Gaiman said. "I was so excited when I heard George Lucas was making a movie. And then [the film] came out. Howard the Duck became a bad joke."
"I never wanted that to happen to Sandman, and I saw scripts that would have made that happen ...The important thing was to stop bad versions being made," he continued. "Once a bad version is made, you never quite come back from that."
Gaiman certainly has a point there and we're glad that he took his time finding the right script and medium for The Sandman. With that in mind, we can't wait to see what the Netflix series has in store for us this August.
The Sandman premieres on Netflix on August 5, 2022.
Related: The Sandman Series Unveils Trailer Showing The Waking World
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