New teasers for “The Sandman’s” impending television adaptation were unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con, indicating that the series will be faithful to Neil Gaiman’s comics. A 1991 draft of “The Sandman” adaptation lingered in development hell for many years before Netflix finally agreed to make the series in 2019. Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Charles Dance, David Thewlis, and Stephen Fry are well-known actors that will appear in the adaptation.
“The Sandman” centers on Morpheus (Sturridge), the king of dreams who was held captive in an arcane ritual for more than a century. After his release, Morpheus sets out to bring order to his kingdom of Dreaming. Similar to the books, the television show will take place both in the realm of Dreaming and the real world, where the fallout from Morpheus’ departure will impact a sizable cast of characters. Gaiman has talked about how “The Sandman“ will portray the violent content in the series, claiming it will be a little more subtly done than in the print version.
According to Screen Rant some teasers for the show at San Diego Comic-Con, verifying that it borrows some scenes from the comics. In one such clip, Dr. John Dee (Thewlis) discusses dreaming of an entirely new universe in a diner. This scenario is taken from Volume 26 of the comics. Another scene from the sixth episode shows Morpheus on a bench discussing the futility of vengeance now that he has it.
In the third clip, a figure at a wedding explodes, and Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman), to Morpheus’ chagrin, is said to have sent him back to Hell. Other “The Sandman” trailers at Comic-Con featured comic-accurate representations of characters, like The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook). It will be interesting to watch what tale elements are translated in just the first season of what is a pervasive story after the series premieres on Netflix on August 5.
“The Sandman” has had difficulty making it to television, but the teasers have shown that it will be a faithful adaptation of the adored comics. The dark fantasy drama should be able to convey the ambitious and captivating tale without overwhelming potential viewers, thanks to “The Sandman’s” wide-ranging appeal. “The Sandman” still appears promising, and perhaps the teasers accurately represent what viewers may anticipate from the new adaption.