Netflix Developing Sandman Series With Neil Gaiman in ‘Massive’ Deal

One of the most beloved comic book series of all time, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, is finally headed to a screen near you. THR reports that Netflix has picked up an option on the series for an adaptation. Gaiman will executive produce alongside David Goyer, with Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) writing and showrunning.

The site notes that the series has a “massive financial deal” from Netflix to develop, though the formal deal has not yet closed. The outlet describes it as the most expensive TV series that DC Entertainment has ever done, ahead of the likes of the Arrowverse shows, DC Universe’s series like Titans and Swamp Thing, and Gotham. Even HBO’s upcoming Watchmen series comes from DC Entertainment, so it would seem like Netflix is shelling out major cash for the property.

The Sandman has long been sought by Hollywood for a live-action adaptation due to the critical acclaim and rabid fan support that the series has had. Created by Gaiman and published under the about-to-be-defunct Vertigo imprint, the series ran for 75 issues from 1989 through 1996. There have been several attempts to adapt it, including a feature film planned by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 2013. But they’ve all fallen apart, with Gordon-Levitt departing his take in 2016 over creative differences between himself and New Line Cinema.

The series is set within an urban fantasy take on our world, where a family of beings known as the Endless — Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delirium — fulfill the respective responsibilities of their names. The series centered around Dream and his interactions with mankind, as well as his conflicts with his family as well as a host of mythological entities. Notably, Dream had an encounter with Lucifer in the beloved “Seasons of Mist” arc, which is notable since Lucifer is now a Netflix-distributed property after FOX cancelled it. Lucifer has a fifth and final season set to premiere at an unspecified date, but there’s always a chance that Tom Ellis could be brought in for an appearance in Sandman to connect the two.