Neil Gaiman is “really involved” and “working a lot” on Netflix’s Sandman show

If you were worried that Netflix was making its version of The Sandman without input from author Neil Gaiman, you can rest easy.

Last year, Netflix announced its ambitious plans to develop a live-action TV show based on Neil Gaiman’s iconic DC/Vertigo comic series The Sandman. We haven’t heard a ton of substantive news since, the global pandemic throwing a wrench into productions everywhere, but the show is still slowly but surely coming along, and Gaiman is getting hands-on with it.

Recently, the Forbidden Planet bookstore chain held a virtual event to celebrate its 42nd birthday. It was nowhere near as sophisticated as the DC FanDome, but it still featured interviews with industry stars like Simon Pegg, Jonathan Ross, Garth Ennis and Gaiman, who explained his exact role in the Sandman show. From what he says, it seems as if he’s right at the center of things, trying to bring a comic that was dubbed “unfilmable” to the small screen.

“I’m an executive producer, but am really involved and working a lot,” Gaiman said. “American Gods [on Starz] always wound up, for whatever reasons, with me at arm’s length — often wanting to be more involved and giving notes and things, but not actually in the trenches. Pretty much off to one side with other people making it and me going, ‘Well, yes’ or me going, ‘You know, I wouldn’t have done it like that.’ Sandman is not that.”

Another show Gaiman was heavily involved in was Good Omens on Amazon Prime, based on the novel of the same name he wrote with Terry Pratchett. And by “heavily involved,” I mean he wrote all six episodes and served as showrunner. With The Sandman, his involvement is more reminiscent of Good Omens than of American Gods. In fact, he reveals that he’s been working closely with writer Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) on the scripts. “We co-wrote the pilot, and then after that it’s basically been Allan working with writers and then me working with Allan on the scripts.”

As for casting, we haven’t got any solid news yet, although rumors have been flying. Just because there’s no news doesn’t mean casting isn’t happening, though. “Right now, not a day goes by that I don’t see a dozen casting videos,” Gaiman said, revealing that he’s seen audition tapes for characters like Squatterbloat, Choronzon and Triple Goddess.

"I get to see these amazing actors playing the parts and putting it together. We’ve got a director starting, I think August the 17th, and very, very soon, we’ll be shooting — assuming the world doesn’t go into another lockdown or something."

It’s nice to see that Netflix’s The Sandman is still coming along nicely despite the pandemic. If you can’t wait for the TV show, maybe you should give the the 11-hour audiobook version from Audible a go, narrated by Gaiman himself with a wonderful cast including James McAvoy, Kat Dennings, Andy Serkis and Michael Sheen.

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