With hype for Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of The Sandman growing steadily as time goes by, Neil Gaiman has only increased fans anticipation with his statement that the show is “all about surprising you.” The series is set to follow the events of Gaiman’s comic book series of the same name, focusing on volume one, volume two, as well as half of volume three. That being said, we can expect based on Gaiman’s description that the show is not necessarily bound to these plot lines in exact detail.
In a recent interview with Empire, Gaiman gave a brief rundown at the fantastical and wild variety the episodes will hold, saying:
You watch Episode 1 and think, ‘Oh, I get this thing: it’s like Downton Abbey, but with magic.’ Then you’ll be wondering, ‘What the hell is this?’ by Episode 2, when you’re meeting Gregory The Gargoyle in The Dreaming. Episode 5 is about as dark and traumatic as anything is ever gonna get, then you’ve got Episode 6, which is probably the most feel-good of all the episodes.
Empire Magazine
He went further to describe the shifting nature of the series by comparing it to Game of Thrones. He explains it simply that “if you didn’t like an episode of Game Of Thrones, you probably won’t like any other episode of Game Of Thrones.” In regard to The Sandman in comparison, Gaiman stated it is “all about surprising you. It’s all about reinventing itself. It’s all about taking you on a journey you’ve not been on before.”
This leaves room to imagine that the series may throw in some plot twists here and there that leave the realm of the original comics. The nature of The Sandman series itself though is often chaotic and varying, so just following the original graphic novels may be enough to keep audiences on their toes.
After a large number of attempts at bringing The Sandman to life off the page, none of which have ever succeeded, the arrival of Netflix’s adaptation of Gaiman’s classic series is even more special because of the long wait of over two decades since the comic series ended. Based on what we’ve seen and heard up until this point, fans can certainly expect good things from this latest addition to The Sandman universe.
The upcoming series is starring Tom Sturridge as the iconic Morpheus (Dream), Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Dream’s sister Death, along with a fantastic looking supporting cast. More about the cast of The Sandman can be found here. The series is scheduled to premiere on June 3rd.