See Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death on the set of The Sandman

Neil Gaiman’s wildly creative comic book The Sandman started coming out in the late ’80s, but it’s only now getting a screen adaptation, and what’s more, it looks like it’s getting a screen adaptation that’s actually worthy of it. Netflix is going all out on its TV version of The Sandman, so much that Gaiman himself could barely contain his enthusiasm when he visited the set:

Since then, we’ve gotten little glimpses of the ongoing production. We saw English actor Tom Sturridge in action as lead character Dream, the gloomy ruler of the Dreaming, one of the many imaginative realms we visit in Gaiman’s story. With his dour demeanor and all-black wardrobe, he looks just about perfect.

And now, we have a look at actor British actor Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Dream’s sister and quite possibly the most popular character from The Sandman. We won’t actually embed the picture here for fear of legal repercussions, but you can check it out right here.

As with Sturridge, it looks like Howell-Baptiste has the right idea for Death. While Dream is often sullen and glum, Death — despite her name and position — is peppier and more down-to-earth, the most normal-seeming of any of the Endless.

She still wears a lot of black, though. Gaiman likes the clothes he likes, I guess. We also note that Howell-Baptiste is wearing Death’s distinctive ankh, which she is rarely seen without.

What is The Sandman about?

Explaining The Sandman is always tricky to newcomers, but if you’re not familiar, I’ll give it a go: Dream and Death are two of seven siblings known as the Endless, each of which is in charge of a different aspect of the human condition. The comic mainly follows Dream as he goes about his duties, which can involve anything from fetching stray nightmare creatures back from a serial killer convention to inspiring William Shakespeare to write A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The stories told in The Sandman are very eclectic, which may be part of the reason no one has adapted it until now. But during this post-Game of Thrones boom in fantasy and sci-fi, the money and the will is finally there to do it and do it right.

Expect The Sandman to debut on Netflix sometime in 2022. I can’t wait!

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels