Neil Gaiman is a very influential figure in the world of dark fantasy and science fiction literature, producing many bestselling works over his long career. Some of his most well-known novels are The Graveyard Book, Good Omens, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but arguably one of his most famous and beloved creations is Sandman, a comic book series published by DC Comics that is finally getting adapted as a television series, something fans have wanted for a long time. Although there have been attempts in the past, Netflix is truly making it happen. Gaiman’s The Sandman series began in 1989, but the story has greatly expanded since then and is still an important part of DC Comics’ lineup today. The good news is that it’s coming later this year. Here’s everything we know.
Is there a trailer for The Sandman?
We’re still waiting on a full-length trailer, but Netflix has released a short date announcement teaser, which gives us a little taste of what sort of dimly-lit, moody drama to expect. Morpheus, the elder god of dreams, has been missing for quite a long time, and he’s finally returning to a world that looks a lot different from the one he left.
There is also a first-look teaser, which gives us a teeny bit of footage of the first bit of the story, in which a bunch of magic aficionados perform a ritual to imprison Death itself but summon her sibling instead.
When will The Sandman premiere on Netflix?
After what felt like YEARS of waiting, we finally have a release date. Netflix announced during their 2022 Geeked Week that the first season of The Sandman will officially drop on Netflix on August 5. So soon!!!
The cast of The Sandman
Netflix has recruited a bunch of huge talent to play many important roles in The Sandman. Of course, the most important role is the title character, played by Tom Sturridge, whose most prominent past projects are On The Road and Far from the Madding Crowd. Charles Dance and Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones will co-star as well as Kirby Howell-Baptiste from The Good Place, David Thewlis of the Harry Potter movie series, well-known British comedian and actor Stephen Fry, and Jenna Coleman of Victoria. Also starring in The Sandman are Boyd Holbrook, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Joely Richardson, Kyo Ra, Razane Jammal, Sandra James-Young, Vivienne Acheampong, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar in various roles. Patton Oswalt is also doing voice work for a very important character, with a long resume that includes Ratatouille, Bojack Horseman, the new Spider-Man animated series, and more.
The plot
The first season of The Sandman is reported to cover the story of The Sandman, volume 1: Preludes & Nocturnes, which follows Dream’s capture by Burgess and his occult followers in the early 1900s and his subsequent 105 years in captivity. The dream is able to finally escape in 2021 while under the watch of Burgess and his son Alex, a character who has not been mentioned in any casting announcements but might be played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who is credited as “Alex” on the show’s IMDb page.
Some people will likely recognize the young actor from his work in Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor. After escaping, Dream is still very weak, returning to his realm of Dreaming to find everything out of order. The dream then sets out on a quest to retrieve his totems of power, which are a pouch of sand, a helm, and a ruby, and these adventures feature the introduction of important characters like Death, Lucifer, and Dee.
Due to information released by both Netflix and Gaiman so far, it appears that Season 1 of The Sandman will also dip into the storyline of The Doll’s House, which will find Dream on a new journey to retrieve a few of his creations who have escaped from the Dreaming, while also showcasing two of his Endless siblings, Desire and Despair. As an adaptation, the television series might be forced to change some things from the original story due to the differences in medium, but given that Gaiman is executive producing, fans of The Sandman can expect the spirit of the comic series to remain no matter what direction the show goes in.
How many episodes will there be?
There are 10 episodes of The Sandman season 1, all of which will likely be around an hour-long, as is per usual with Netflix drama shows. All episodes will be available from day one.
