Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
No, you’re not dreaming: thanks to TUDUM, Netflix’s global fan event, we have our first official look at the upcoming adaptation of DC Comics’ The Sandman. And not only that, thanks to the just launched social channels, we also got the first character posters featuring the expansive cast of the series.
For those not in the know, The Sandman is one of the most critically beloved and best-selling comic book series of all time. Written by Neil Gaiman, with a rotating cadre of top-tier artists, the story focused (mostly) on Morpheus, the lord of dreams. When the story begins, Morpheus has been captured by a cult who is looking to harness his power. They’re unable to do so, but hold him for nearly a century in captivity. When he finally escapes and returns to his dream world, he finds his lieutenants scattered, and dreams in ruin.
And in fact, that’s the scene we see in the footage, as Charles Dance’s Roderick Burgess captures Morpheus, as Boyd Holbrook’s The Corinthian tees up the rest of Morpheus’ siblings.
The rest of the series deals with the fall-out of Morpheus’ missing years, and return, as well as who was really behind his capture, what it means for his equally iconic siblings (Death, Desire and Destiny, to name a few), and spans a scope of mythology that encompasses the totality of dreams over millennia of storytelling. So, you know, a pretty big story.
And of course, a big story requires a big cast. The first look footage was presented by Gaiman, as well as the two big stars of the series: Tom Sturridge, who plays Morpheus, aka Dream; and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who plays Death. In addition to that dynamic duo, the cast also includes (deep breath): Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, Asim Chaudhry as Abel, Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain, Mason Alexander Park as Desire, Donna Preston as Despair, Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, Stephen Fry as Gilbert, Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven, Joely Richardson and Niamh Walsh as old and young Ethel Cripps, David Thewlis as John Dee, Kyo Ra as Rose Walker, Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall, and Sandra James Young as Unity Kincaid.
“I think this is how it was always supposed to happen,” Gaiman said in an intro during the TUDUM event, adding that when he went to the sets it felt like it was, “plucked from my imagination… I was transported back 30 years.”
Added Sturridge, “These are books I adore, I revere, I love, and to have the opportunity to live inside them for the past few months has been the privilege of my career.”
We actually got our first, first look at The Sandman back in June, thanks to a behind the scenes featurette rolled out as part of Netflix’s previous virtual event, Geeked Week (remember that? It’s been a long year, folks). But here, we’re getting to see actual footage and looks at the characters of the currently in production series… Even if we don’t have a premiere date, as of yet.
Check out the first look above, and some character posters, below:
