Sandman Movie Is A Go, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Is Producer

[Karloff]

Sandman Movie Is A Go, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Is Producer

Neil Gaiman's Sandman is going to get a big screen adaptation, after 20 years of trying.

"Matthew?"

"Yes, boss?"

"Has anyone told Cain that Joseph Gordon-Levitt [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126009-Rumor-Marvel-Wants-Joseph-Gordon-Levitt-For-Doctor-Strange] is going to produce and possibly star in a movie version of our lives?"

"No, boss."

"Good. Abel has enough troubles as it is."

If you're a comic fan of the 1990s, then it's time to break out the bubbly: Neil Gaiman's Sandman will finally be getting a film adaptation, after 20-odd years of trying. Gordon-Levitt will be working with Neil Gaiman himself, as producer, to bring this epic to life. The Dark Knight's David Goyer will be handling the screenplay. Cain may be upset - exposing secrets really isn't something he tolerates - but the rest of us have every reason to rejoice.

Initial reports had Gordon-Levitt as the director and star as well, but the Inception actor's only confirming the producer role [https://twitter.com/hitRECordJoe]. Gordon-Levitt as Morpheus, though? Hmmmmm. Could be very interesting ...

No, we don't know which part of the story Gordon-Levitt's team will be focusing on. If it's any help, he's been using the hashtag #Prelude in his Tweets, which may be a Preludes and Nocturnes reference.

Source: The Verge [http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/12/17/5218830/the-sandman-movie-confirmed-directed-by-and-starring-joseph-gordon-levitt]


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[Symbio Joe]

Well this will surely not end in an enraged fanbase.

 

[deathbydeath]

I actually haven't read any of the Sandman books, but I like the concept and am looking forward to this.

On an unrelated note, this reminds me that I need to go pick up the Sandman books Gaiman wrote with Yoshitaka Amano behind the art. That looks so freakin cool.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

Preludes and Nocturnes is probably the best entry level story. Throw in a dash of Doll House and you are set. You have your human every person to introduce to the world (Rose Walker) A bit of universe building. (Trip to hell) and a very creepy villain (Mix Dr. Dee & The Corinthian ) It could work with the right director.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Preludes and Nocturnes is probably the best entry level story. Throw in a dash of Doll House and you are set. You have your human every person to introduce to the world (Rose Walker) A bit of universe building. (Trip to hell) and a very creepy villain (Mix Dr. Dee & The Corinthian ) It could work with the right director.

Here's to hoping they make it through the rest of the series.

Odd... I would've put my money on this becoming the next HBO series...

not an actual in-theaters film.

 

[Albino Boo]

I'm not sure that the Sandman would work as a film. The stories are quite slow, thoughtful and full of small whimsical jokes hidden away in the background. I would have thought Sandman would have worked better as a TV show. There is only one person who can play Dream, its just got to be Benedict Cumberbatch.

 

[Something Amyss]

Preludes and Nocturnes is probably the best entry level story. Throw in a dash of Doll House and you are set. You have your human every person to introduce to the world (Rose Walker) A bit of universe building. (Trip to hell) and a very creepy villain (Mix Dr. Dee & The Corinthian ) It could work with the right director.

Here's to hoping they make it through the rest of the series.

Odd... I would've put my money on this becoming the next HBO series...

not an actual in-theaters film.

Oh God, an HBO series would be excellent.

Well, assuming they gave it even a fraction of the care they normally give their programming.

 

[Exterminas]

The first few issues of Sandman actually would make for a decent movie, since they have a somewhat enclosed narrative of Morpheus retrieving his macguffins. The whole expanded universe madness doesn't start until later on.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I... don't know how to handle this. I remember some rumblings of American Gods becoming a tv series (quick note for those who don't know, it was a book by Gaiman) at some point... Now a Sandman movie? With JGL... How to take this? I think Gordon-Levitt has the talent, but the movie would have to be handled right. Sandman is a unique story, at least in my view. Its very heavy in the imagery department as well as the narrative and needs a perfect touch with cinema to bring it to the big screen. I don't know many directors who can handle that. Something about it makes me think David Fincher would be good, he has a knack for strange, but I don't know. Maybe JGL can handle the directorial himself, he's a smart guy and he's gotta have some love for it if he's going producer on the IP.

 

[Callate]

I don't know that I'd buy Gordon-Levitt as Morpheus. He's a fine actor, and I think his presence as producer is a good sign that the material is being taken seriously and not just some hackneyed cash-grab. But he just doesn't look like someone who could have witnessed thousands of years of human history. I'd rather have someone like Gabriel Byrne or even Wes Bentley in the part.

Still, he is a talented actor; maybe he'll surprise me.

Now, who plays Death...?

 

[SonofSpermcube]

The first few issues of Sandman actually would make for a decent movie, since they have a somewhat enclosed narrative of Morpheus retrieving his macguffins. The whole expanded universe madness doesn't start until later on.

If they're intending to make a series out of it, though, they might have to work some later stuff into the first movie. Like get Daniel's plot thread started in the first movie.

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

Well this will surely not end in an enraged fanbase.

Seeing as they are working with the creator of the original book on this, probably not as much as normal. They'll still be enraged, of course, but it will be less pronounced when it becomes very hard to claim "trampling on the source material"

 

[Eleuthera]

I remember some rumblings of American Gods becoming a tv series (quick note for those who don't know, it was a book by Gaiman) at some point...

In an interview less than a month ago Gaiman confirmed an American Gods TV-series is being worked on, he also mentioned it wasn't HBO, but he was not at liberty to say which station it was.

EDIT: Although in that same interview he also said the Sandman movie was just a rumour...

 

[Lono Shrugged]

The first few issues of Sandman actually would make for a decent movie, since they have a somewhat enclosed narrative of Morpheus retrieving his macguffins. The whole expanded universe madness doesn't start until later on.

If they're intending to make a series out of it, though, they might have to work some later stuff into the first movie. Like get Daniel's plot thread started in the first movie.

The more I think about it, the better a prospect it sounds. The first collection of stories did a great job at slowly building the world while having great action set pieces. Mash a few elements correctly, hint at the right thing and it could be compelling. It needs the right creative team to pick it apart. Like how Peter Jackson and Co. deconstructed the entire LOTR saga (ignore the Hobbit for this example) and did their upmost to stay true to the books while not leaving the audience short changed or having plot irrelevent characters and subplots (Scouring of the shire/ Tom Bombadil) Now you can fairly argue if it was a good idea or not. But you can't really fault the approach.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I don't see them pulling this off. The way the Sandman was written and the way Hollywood operates are too much at odds. You could probably make an interesting movie, but the film industry would never allow it because they don't expect the average movie-going audience (or what they see as the average movie-going audience, which would be something akin to a tapeworm with disposable income) to handle something that slow and thoughtful.

 

[Robot Number V]

Yeah, it's hard to argue that an HBO series wouldn't be a MUCH better fit...But I think there's a way to make a movie, as well. I'm not gonna activate my pre-emptive fan rage just yet.

 

[TekMoney]

So I don't know where people are getting the idea that Neil Gaiman is involved in this project. Here's what he had to say:

"I don?t get to allow or not allow Sandman adaptations. When I was 26, and I signed the Sandman contract, it was as work for hire. DC Comics (now DC Entertainment, part of Warner Bros) own all of Sandman, including movie and TV rights, and always have done.

Like you, I?ve seen the tweet from Joseph that says he?s a producer on a SANDMAN movie. He?s a fine actor and a smart director, and a really nice man. Like you, I?m interested in seeing what happens next."

 

[Pickapok]

I'm not sure that the Sandman would work as a film. The stories are quite slow, thoughtful and full of small whimsical jokes hidden away in the background. I would have thought Sandman would have worked better as a TV show. There is only one person who can play Dream, its just got to be Benedict Cumberbatch.

He'd be my second choice. My first pick for Dream would be Keanu Reeves.

He even looks like the guy.

 

[Pinkamena]

I haven't even heard of this series. Can someone give me the basic gist of it?

 

[TakerFoxx]

I haven't even heard of this series. Can someone give me the basic gist of it?

Oh man, is this gonna be hard. >_<

Uh, the gist of it is that there are seven anthropomorphic personifications of...reality and life called the Endless who exist as really dysfunctional siblings. There's Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. The series follows Dream when he's called down and imprisoned by a cult for several decades, follows his escape and attempt to rebuild his kingdom, and explores the immense political and emotional fallout in the spiritual worlds that came from having one of the Endless sealed away for so long. There's fairies (old school variety), gods, monsters, and just about pretty much any kind of mythical creature involved as characters. Even Lucifer plays an important role.

In short, it's really weird, quite often disturbing, but really (and I mean really) good.