The adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed graphic novel arrives on August 5. Before it arrives, we were able to see it and tell you everything you need to know about The Sandman (without spoilers), a series that seems to come with the hope that it will reach the success of the comics and keep Netflix alive.
Many fans of comics and graphic novels have probably been waiting a long time for The Sandman I arrived at Netflix. Obviously, some will be afraid, intrigued and have many doubts about how they will adapt the popular and acclaimed story of Neil Gaman, but luckily there is practically nothing left for them to find out. The series arrives on the platform on August 5 and is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated premieres on the streaming platform. streaming. We were able to see it and without spoilers, we tell you the details.
The Sandman, a series created by David S. Goyer and Allan Heinbergadapts DC’s Vertigo imprint comics written by Neil Gaman. This saga is considered one of the most original, sophisticated and artistically ambitious graphic novels within the DC Universe. It remained, according to Entertainment Weekly, as one of the top 5 in the “100 best reads of 1983-2008” list.
the comics of The Sandman they were published in a period from 1989 to 1996 and consisted of 75 issues. After 1996, there were two more extensions, the last of which finished printing in 2015. Within its history, you can find issues that incorporate horror, religion, philosophical, existential, intellectual and artistic points of view, as well as elements of the genre. fantasy and classical and contemporary mythology. Well complete.
But what is the series or the story about? Our protagonist is The Sandmanalso know as Dream, Master of Dreams, Morpheus, among others. As his name implies, he is the personified version of dreams and is responsible for shaping our fears (nightmares) and our deepest fantasies (dreams). Something fundamental for humanity, something that the series makes very clear in each chapter.
Being one of the Eternals (not Marvel’s), an infinite being and the anthropomorphic embodiment of a concept, Sandman it has its own kingdom and influence over the rest of the universe. The world of our protagonist is called Dreaming and, if he is in that place together with his three fundamental tools, he is a very powerful character.
What are these tools and what are they for? The Helm of Dreams, the Sandbag, and the Dream Gem. These artifacts have different powers that, when combined, give Sandman the ability to control dreams, but separately they can also be used for different purposes. However, in the first chapter of the series we will see that these tools are stolen, so Dream he will have to travel through different worlds to find what was taken from him and recover his power.
Here is the synopsis:A new world awaits us when we close our eyes to sleep. A place called Dreaming or Ensoñación, where the King of the Dream (Tom Sturridge) shapes our deepest fears and fantasies. But when they capture Sleep and is held prisoner for a century, his absence triggers a series of events that changes the world of sleep and waking forever. In order to restore order and correct the mistakes he made during his long existence, Dream must travel through different worlds and timelines. On his journey, he meets old friends and enemies, and meets new cosmic and human beings.”.
As our protagonist is practically immortal, during the 10 episodes of the series, we are going to travel through different times. However, even though The Sandman was born when the first forms of life began to dream, its history begins at the beginning of the 20th century, when a series of black magic occultists, led by Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance)they capture it.
Because of Burgess, Dream he will be absent in his world and will stop fulfilling his obligations between 1916 and the present. This can only bring chaos, since if the being that oversees our unconscious lives is not there to do his job, catastrophes are to be expected.
The series is described as a story that blends the genres of modern myth, dark fantasy, current fiction, historical drama, and legend. And, like many other shows, The Sandman It has a wide list of characters that accompany our protagonist, both for better and for worse.
If you’ve read the comics, they’re probably all very familiar to you, and you’re eager to see them on screen (despite some being criticized for not being exactly the same as they are on the page). First let’s start with the rest of the Eternals, the brothers of Sandman: Deaththe Twins Desire Y Despair, Destiny, Delirium, and the prodigal son, Destructionwho in turn also have their own kingdoms and influence over the rest of the universe.
In the first season of the series we will not see all the Eternals, but they will be mentioned and there will be references to them. We still tell you a little about each one. older brother is Destiny, whom we recognize by wearing a gray tunic that prevents his face from being seen. He is the embodiment of reality and the fate of the universe, he has a book chained to his arm, with all the knowledge of the universe, which he reads while wandering the Garden of Forks.
After Destiny arrives Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), in charge of accompanying all the souls of those who die and sending them to the afterlife. Always in a good mood and loving life, this character would be the last to leave the universe. On the other hand, he is Destruction which, despite what its name might suggest, represents change, be it positive or negative.
Then we have the twins Desire (Mason Alexander Park) and Despair (Donna Preston). The first of them was born when the first living being longed to have something and the second a few moments later, when that same living being felt the despair of not being able to get it. And lastly, there is Delirium, the younger sister. She at first she was known as delight or delightpersonifying pleasure and joy, but for unknown reasons ended up evolving into Delirium. He has one green and one blue eye and his appearance is constantly changing.
In addition to the Eternals, we also have other characters, minions and enemies of Sandman. let’s start with Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong), ally and right hand of Morpheus and the librarian of Dreaming who guards all the novels never written. She was the one in charge of keeping the kingdom under control during the absence of Dream. Then we have matthew (with the voice of patton oswalt), the crow that serves Sleep as a spy and informer, as he can travel between sleep and wakefulness.
We will also have Joanna Constantinan investigator of the occult. Neil Gaman included in the initial arc of The Sandman to the character of John Constantin (created in 1985) and added to its predecessor, Lady Johanna. Both will appear in the series and will be played by Jenna Coleman.
Going into the characters that do not get along very well with the protagonist, we have the villain of the season, Corinthian (Boyd Hollbrook), a nightmare created by Sandman that represents the darkness of humanity. Fascinated with humans, he escapes the Dreaming to live on earth and wreak as much havoc as possible. He always wears glasses to hide that instead of eyes he has teeth. In addition, we also have the very Lucifer Morningstar (Gwendoline Christie) the fallen angel and ruler of Hell.
They are joined by more characters that they will discover in the series. But the rest of the cast is made up of: Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Kyo Ra, Razane Jammal, Stephen Fry, Mark Hamill, among others.
The first season of The Sandman will adapt the first volumes of comics preludes and nocturnes Y the doll house, but also incorporates 24 Hour Diner and a mixture of various stages of the original comic. So if you are fans of comics, surely you will find more than one reference that excites you.
Now, for those of you worried about adaptation, remember that Neil Gaman -which in addition to The Sandman also wrote American Gods, The Good Omens and Coraline– participates in the series as an executive producer. So all the changes you can find are supervised and approved by the very creator of the story.
Until now Netflix did not confirm a second season of The Sandman, but in a Den of Geek article it was revealed that the scripts for the second batch of episodes are already being written. This statement came from the writer of the series, David S Goyerwho indicated that writing the second cycle would be easier thanks to the foundations that were already established in the first season.
“In some ways, it’s easier because we’ve educated the audience on the basic ideas. We have shown how dream life can affect the waking world.” said Goyer. “With that legwork done, the program can now flesh out those themes. It’s more like jazz, where you can plan variations. And we can stretch our wings a little more.”.
Who knows? Perhaps Netflix want to find your next stranger things (since that series only has one season left) and, depending on how the audience responds to the first few episodes, The Sandman may be a good candidate. The 10 episodes arrive on August 5 on the streaming platform.