The Sandman: Netflix greenlights TV series adaptation from Neil Gaiman, David Goyer

Neil Gaiman’s beloved Vertigo comic The Sandman is finally getting a screen adaptation. Insiders told The Hollywood Reporter  that Netflix struck a huge financial deal with Warner Bros Television to adapt the bestseller into a live-action TV series. The news comes three years after New Line failed to turn the graphic novel into a feature film. [caption id=“attachment_6912131” align=“alignnone” width=“826”] Source: Twitter.[/caption] Sources close to the development said the negotiation will result into the most expensive TV series that DC Entertainment has undertaken till date. Wonder Woman screenwriter Allan Heinberg, who is also known for his work in ABC’s The Catch, Grey’s Anatomy, is set to write and serve as showrunner on the straight-to-series drama. According to the publication, Eric Heisserer, the last screenwriter attached to New Line’s Sandman, said in November 2016 that he was no longer involved. “I … came to the conclusion that the best version of this property exists as an HBO series or limited series, not as a feature film, not even as a trilogy.” Gaiman, who created the ongoing monthly comic, will executive produce alongside David Goyer. Gaiman and Goyer were both attached to New Line’s most recent attempts to adapt The Sandman for the big screen. Netflix and Warner Bros declined comment as a formal deal has not yet closed. The Sandman follows a dark fantasy and mythology tale of Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, and the Endless, the powerful group of siblings that includes Destiny, Death, Destruction, Despair, Desire and Delirium (as well as Dream). DC’s Vertigo comics imprint originally published the series between the year of 1989 and 1996, with several additional series coming out in 2009 and between 2013 and 2015. There has been no word yet on casting, but it’s highly likely that Sandman will bring in big names. Gaiman’s previous works American Gods and Good Omens also got screen adaptations at Starz and Amazon respectively. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)