When it comes to dark fantasy literature, Neil Gaiman's work has long been established. The author is responsible for some of the popular titles we know today, like The Graveyard Book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Good Omens.
But without a doubt, it is his graphic novel that catapulted him into a household name. DC Comics started producing the comic book series in 1989. For years, many have wondered when they'll be able to see The Sandman be adapted into a movie or TV series.
While there have been some attempts to do this, Netflix is making it a reality. The Sandman series will be coming out on Netflix real soon.
The Sandman Release Date
But how soon will it be available on the streaming service? At its Geeked Week event held in June 2022, Netflix gave avid fans a look at The Sandman teaser.
The streaming giant also revealed that The Sandman adaptation will officially be released on August 5, 2022. For fans who have been waiting for over 30 years for this moment, the wait is nearly and finally over.
Gaiman serves as the executive producer of the show along with Allan Heinberg and David S. Goyer. Heinberg also serves as the showrunner for The Sandman Season 1.
What is The Sandman About?
The Sandman is a comic book series that goes beyond the Earth realm. Through the years, Gaiman has introduced historical and fictional people into the series. Some of the characters that have been part of the comic book series include William Shakespeare, Orpheus, Thor, and many others. There have also been instances wherein characters from the DC universe made an appearance, such as John Constantine, Martian Manhunter, Hector Hall, and Element Girl.
The Netflix-released teaser gave a glimpse at the series. It shows a group of occultists from the Order of Ancient Mysterious being led by Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance) doing a ritual so they can capture and imprison Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste). Unfortunately, something goes wrong in the ritual, which leads them to capture Dream (Tom Sturridge) instead. This scene kicks off the first season of the show.
The Sandman Season 1 Plot
Dream's capture in the early 1900s causes human beings to lose the ability to dream. For the next 105 years, people live in fear of the night. One day, Dream manages to escape. The year is now 2021 and the protagonist goes in search of his totems of power that were stolen by the occultists. These totems include a helm, a pouch of sand, and a ruby.
Along the way, Dream meets some interesting characters, including Cain (Sanjeev Bhaskar) and Abel (Asim Chaudhry), and Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie). He also comes across with the rest of his family-- Desire (Mason Alexander Park), Destiny (David Thewlis), Despair (Donna Preston), and Death.
Considering that this is a TV adaptation, it's likely that there will be some changes from the original story. But since Gaiman has taken an active role in producing the series, we can expect the show to not deviate too much.
How Many Episodes Will There Be in The Sandman Season 1?
There will be a total of 11 episodes in The Sandman Season 1, each of which will consist be an hour long. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Gaiman revealed that each of these episodes will be "wildly different."
"You watch Episode 1 and think, 'Oh, I get this thing: it's like "Downton Abbey," but with magic.' Then you'll be wondering, 'What the hell is this?' by Episode 2, when you're meeting Gregory the Gargoyle in The Dreaming. Episode 5 is about as dark and traumatic as anything is ever gonna get, then you've got Episode 6, which is probably the most feel-good of all the episodes.'"
The Sandman Season 1 will be covering the following volumes of the graphic novel:
- Volume 1: "Preludes and Nocturnes"
- Volume 2: "The Doll's House"
- Volume 3: "Dream Country"
Eventually, the goal is to adapt all of the graphic novels into the TV series without getting cancelled.
The Sandman Season 1 Cast
Netflix has been very careful in casting actors to play such important roles in the series. The confirmed cast include the following names:
- Tom Sturridge (as Dream)
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste (as Death)
- Mason Alexander Park (as Desire)
- Donna Preston (as Despair)
- David Thewlis (as John Dee/Doctor Destiny)
- Jenna Coleman (as Johanna Constantine)
- Gwendoline Christie (as Lucifer)
- Charles Dance (as Roderick Burgess)
- Asim Chaudhry (as Abel)
- Sanjeev Bhaskar (as Cain)
- Boyd Holbrook (as The Corinthian)
- Vivienne Acheampong (as Lucienne)
- Kyo Ra (as Rose Walker)
- Stephen Fry (as Gilbert)
- Sandra James-Young (as Unity Kinkaid)
- Patton Oswalt (as the voice for Matthew the Raven)
- Mark Hamill (as the voice of Merv Pumpkinhead)
We might also see Benjamin Evan Ainsworth play the role of Burgess' son, Alex. This, however, has not been mentioned in any casting announcements.
Will There be a The Sandman and Lucifer Crossover?
Although Netflix's Lucifer is also a comic book produced by DC Comics, it's unlikely that we'll see the same character in The Sandman.
Aside from being portrayed by different actors (Gwendoline Christie in The Sandman vs. Tom Ellis in Lucifer), they are from two different comic books.
The Sandman Season 1 Trailer: Where to Watch
Even though The Sandman Season 1 release date is nearing, Netflix has not yet released a full-length trailer for the series. Instead, the streaming giant only released a short teaser to announce the release date.
The teaser was revealed at Netflix's Geeked Week event in June 2022 and gives a short first-look at the group of occultists that imprisoned Dream in the first place.
This is a second video that Netflix released in line with the upcoming series. You can watch the teaser here:
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