On August 5th, Netflix wants us to Dream.
The Sandman is set to star Tom Sturridge as Dream, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, David Thewlis as John Dee, Mason Alexander Park as Desire, Donna Preston as Despair, and Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian.
It looks like this first season will be an adaptation of the first two story arcs of The Sandman comic, Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House. I haven’t given those a read since I first devoured the series back when I was a junior in high school. But since this show doesn’t come out for about two months, now’s the time for a reread. The rest of my other graphic novels be damned!
I’m so excited to see all the classic Sandman characters come to life. Sturridge has the most to prove, him being the man charged with bringing one of DC’s most important characters to life. Dream is beyond the gods, and has come before them all. His power is legend, and his presence is a calm authority. If Sturridge can nail that, then I think he will succeed.
I think that the rest of the actors playing the Endless have just as much to prove . The rest of the group, especially Death, are just as important as Dream. Death is Dream’s older sister and closest friend, and if that relationship sucks in the show then the whole series will be affected.
A myriad of other characters show up in the trailer as well. Holbrook’s Corinthian has only a few seconds of screen time in this trailer, but he seems perfect already. We don’t get a John Constantine but we do get a Johanna. This character looks to be a fresh take on an established character. I know some may be disappointed that Matt Ryan isn’t coming back as Constantine but let’s give Johanna a chance. Maybe Netflix will be cool and have Martian Manhunter show up. He helped Dream re-establish himself after he got out of his prison.
The Dreaming, Sandman’s realm where all dreams come from, looks like it was ripped right out of the comics. It looks like a lot of time was put into making sure the Dreaming looked correct. I hope the same effort was put into the design of Hell as well.
Speaking of Hell, I know people are going to be disappointed that Lucifer has been recast. I never got into the Lucifer show myself, but I do know it has a very dedicated fanbase. So far Christie looks like a good Lucifer, and when we watch the show we will know if the recast was the right choice.
Needless to say, as a fan of the comics I am cautiously optimistic. Sandman showed me as a teen what the full story telling potentials comics have. I laughed, I got sad, I got scared, and I had fun when I read them. If the show makes me feel those feelings again then I think Netflix will have made a solid hit. The Sandman premieres on August 5th, 2022.
Advent Seven 
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