The Sandman Image: Netflix
After literally decades of development, the fervent prayers of millions of fans, and the exhausted efforts of poor, worn-out Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it’s finally here: Actual damn footage from a real damn TV version of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, in the form of the trailer for the upcoming adaptation Netflix’s take on the beloved comic book series launched today at Comic-Con.
The Sandman | Official Trailer | Netflix
And, hey: Are we being nasty here, or does this look… Actually pretty good? We can’t say we’re completely sold on Tom Sturridge as the series’ central figure, Dream; there’s a very specific mix of self-absorbed arrogance and self-absorbed sadness about this character, and almost any actor would struggle to pull it off the box. Kirby Howell-Baptiste, however, seems on a more equal footing as Gaiman’s deeply empathetic version of Death, and Boyd Holbrook is quite convincing as the show’s version of the literal walking nightmare The Corinthian – who seems to get a boost from a relatively small (but deeply memorable ), which he plays in Gaiman’s comics.
More importantly, though, Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Alan Heinberg seem to have managed to capture the grand, surreal scope and tone of Sandman, with shots of Hell, the realm of Dream’s Desire’s brother, and a very unhappy diner all exuding the right a sense of mystery and fear. (We also briefly get David Thewlis as a resident of said diner, and, yes: that’s probably going to be creepy.)
A few other tidbits from today’s panel: Mark Hamill will appear on the series, voicing the Dream’s pumpkin-headed janitor, Mervyn Pumpkinhead. And, somewhat amazingly, legendary Sandman cover artist Dave McKean is also involved in the project; at Gaiman’s personal request, he provided unique end credits for each episode of the show.
The Sandman has remained in the popular consciousness for more than 30 years now because it’s more than a supernatural adventure: Obsessed, like its author, with stories, it’s often meandering, digressive and, yes, a little pretentious. (Though they’re very human and funny; there’s a reason they have Patton Oswalt in this thing as a talking raven.) That’s a tall order for any TV show, but from this sneak peek, don’t see any real red flags as to why it’s finally not may come to fruition when Netflix releases the show in its entirety in a few weeks.
Add Comment