Joseph Gordon-Levitt announced Monday night that he will be working with Warner Bros., David Goyer and Neil Gaiman to bring The Sandman to life as film.
One of the first indications of this project’s existence we may have had was from Diane Nelson herself, shortly before San Diego Comic Con, when she mentioned that The Sandman was a top priority to get a movie adaptation. JGL hashtagged his announcing tweet #Prelude, a reference, as Gordon-Levitt appears to have acknowledged, to Preludes and Nocturnes, the title of the first story arc of The Sandman. Despite, or perhaps because of, Badass Digest rumors from “trusted sources” that Gordon-Levitt is in talks to star as the mercurial Dream Lord, JGL issued a second tweet to say that right now he was signed on as a producer, and “the rest remains to be seen.” Neil Gaiman, creator of The Sandman, has not so far commented on the project, but he has retweeted Gordon-Levitt’s tweets.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm incredibly honored to be working with David Goyer, Warner Bros, and @neilhimself on SANDMAN. #Prelude
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) December 17, 2013
Gaiman very openly has high standards for adaptations of his work, turning down studios who wanted to option Anansi Boys, but only if they could make the mostly black cast white.
Gaiman commented on the Sandman adaptation on his official Tumblr, saying:
I don’t get to allow or not allow Sandman adaptations. When I was 26, and I signed the Sandman contract, it was as work for hire. DC Comics (now DC Entertainment, part of Warner Bros) own all of Sandman, including movie and TV rights, and always has done.
Like you, I’ve seen the tweet from Joseph that says he’s a producer on a SANDMAN movie. He’s a fine actor and a smart director, and a really nice man. Like you, I’m interested in seeing what happens next.
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