Netflix's the Sandman

[AndrewCrossett]

The reaction I'm seeing to Lucifer's casting is embarrassing

When I first heard it I said "Whaaaaaa?"

Then I said, "huh."

Then I said, "Yeah! OK."

This won't be Tom Ellis Lucifer, but it will be Neil Gaiman Lucifer, which is the most important thing to me.

[John Venus]

It is amusing that David Bowie or characters based off of David Bowie keeps getting played by women.

First there was Gillian Anderson playing Media as 70's David Bowie in American Gods.

Now you have Gwendoline Christie as Sandman's Lucifer who was specifically instructed by Gaiman to be drawn to look like David Bowie.

I don't think Neil Gaiman wants to avoid DC connections. If they do Dr Destiny they might have him in a different prison aside from Arkham. Lyta and Hector could be entirely different people in this universe. Introducing Constantine here means they can do Books of Magic later on which would open the door ways for adaptations of Specter, Swamp Thing and Hellblazer. Sandman has a clear beginning, middle and ending. If it's successful enough it will warrant more adaptations.

Personally I'm more interested in whatever Gaiman/Netflix does than what Abrams got cooking.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

It is amusing that David Bowie or characters based off of David Bowie keeps getting played by women.

Well, it's unusual but it happens not just with Bowie. The movie I'm Not There cast Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan (and she was the one most accurate to Bob in the '60s).

But Bowie himself lends well to androgynous casting more than other rockstars since that was intentionally his look and design.

First there was Gillian Anderson playing Media as 70's David Bowie in American Gods.

Now you have Gwendoline Christie as Sandman's Lucifer who was specifically instructed by Gaiman to be drawn to look like David Bowie.

David Bowie was a major influence on Gaiman and his stuff, so that's a common visual cue to quote.

I don't think Neil Gaiman wants to avoid DC connections.

In interviews, Gaiman said that as time passed he generally avoided DC Universe connections as much as possible and mentioned in The Sandman Companion that had he known at the outset how big The Sandman would become and what it would evolve into, he probably wouldn't have tied it to the DC as little as it did, and would have made it even more standalone.

Take a look at The Sandman Overture, his return revival series, and his most recent return to the characters and the world. No DC Universe characters at all (or at least I don't remember them being there).

If they do Dr Destiny they might have him in a different prison aside from Arkham.

I think Dr. Destiny might be achievable since he doesn't seem like a villain that would be showing up in the DCEU any time soon (even if the Dream Stone showed up in the most recent Wonder Woman movie).

Lyta and Hector could be entirely different people in this universe. Introducing Constantine here means they can do Books of Magic later on which would open the door ways for adaptations of Specter, Swamp Thing and Hellblazer.

Constantine has a minor part in the original arc, so I think you can excise him...you could introduce Hob Gadling a bit earlier and have him play the role that Constantine does.

Personally I'm more interested in whatever Gaiman/Netflix does than what Abrams got cooking.

I think Netflix feel a little confident with The Witcher being such a big success, so tackling on the definitive urban fantasy story is kind-of irresistible.

[Derek Metaltron]

https://io9.gizmodo.com/netflixs-san...988.1613294734

I have to admit I haven’t seen her in The Good Place so I can’t speak from a position of strength here on the actress in question, but I do feel that I have the right to be as least disappointed that Death wasn’t the one more faithful character for the series, especially when they have Jenna Coleman who would have been PERFECT.

…but hey I am a straight white dude so I am not allowed to have an opinion anyway.

[BeastieRunner]

Did they announce Dream at some point and I missed it?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Did they announce Dream at some point and I missed it?

https://ew.com/tv/netflix-sandman-adaptation-cast/

Yep.

[BeastieRunner]

https://ew.com/tv/netflix-sandman-adaptation-cast/

Yep.

Thanks!

And wild! I'm going to have to get used to going from my time watching with my kiddos Thomas with Shankar to him in Sandman as Cain.

[kcekada]

https://io9.gizmodo.com/netflixs-san...988.1613294734

I have to admit I haven’t seen her in The Good Place so I can’t speak from a position of strength here on the actress in question, but I do feel that I have the right to be as least disappointed that Death wasn’t the one more faithful character for the series, especially when they have Jenna Coleman who would have been PERFECT.

…but hey I am a straight white dude so I am not allowed to have an opinion anyway.

Regardless of your background, it's a legitimate grip when casting doesn't meet your visual expectations. It's common to not cast based on the comic book appearance, and a lot of people are okay with it. I'm a visually-oriented persons -- so it does matter to me. I still can't get into the TV or movie versions of Flash -- since they are so visually different from the Flashes I read in comic books. But as has often been said -- films based on comic books are not really concerned about the comic book reading audience.

[AndrewCrossett]

We old-schoolers feel a moment of loss when we realize Death isn't going to be the pasty-white punk rock goddess we had a crush on when we were 20. But since Death has the most daily contact with human beings of any of the Endless, she would certainly keep up with the trends. As Gaiman has pointed out, the Endless have no fixed race or appearance and there's no reason to think that all of the immortal beings who influence humanity would be white.

I'm gonna trust NG on this casting business.

[j9ac9k]

My issue with the casting of Death is that she's in her mid-30s and it seems like it should be played by someone around 20. (I also see her as Goth, not Punk, but that just shows how differently we all see art) But I've seen the actress in a few things and she can maybe pull of the youthfulness that I imagine (and it could just be me) is a big part of Death's persona, so ... I'm hopeful, if not exuberant. Her chemistry with Dream is really the most important thing to me, either way.

[Maestro 216]

We old-schoolers feel a moment of loss when we realize Death isn't going to be the pasty-white punk rock goddess we had a crush on when we were 20. But since Death has the most daily contact with human beings of any of the Endless, she would certainly keep up with the trends. As Gaiman has pointed out, the Endless have no fixed race or appearance and there's no reason to think that all of the immortal beings who influence humanity would be white.

I'm gonna trust NG on this casting business.

Inb4 she is a boring businesswoman type who happens to be Death.

[Frontier]

https://io9.gizmodo.com/netflixs-san...988.1613294734

I have to admit I haven’t seen her in The Good Place so I can’t speak from a position of strength here on the actress in question, but I do feel that I have the right to be as least disappointed that Death wasn’t the one more faithful character for the series, especially when they have Jenna Coleman who would have been PERFECT.

…but hey I am a straight white dude so I am not allowed to have an opinion anyway.

It really seems like a trend of casting black actresses for pale-faced comic book characters. Is that meant to be a political statement? I guess no more than race-bending redheads.

I really liked Jamie Chung in that DC Showcase short...

[AndrewCrossett]

Red Sonja and Josie and the Pussycats are the only race-bends I can think of that really don't work for me. Some characters are just iconically white.

[Frontier]

Red Sonja and Josie and the Pussycats are the only race-bends I can think of that really don't work for me. Some characters are just iconically white.

I'm just still kind of figuring out why it so often happens to redheads. Not in this instance, but just in general .

[CosmiComic]

I'm just still kind of figuring out why it so often happens to redheads. Not in this instance, but just in general .

You think it's an actual intentional thing, or just coincidence?