Those who don’t pay too much attention to comic book source material might think that almost every good graphic novel has hit the screen by now. However, some will be shocked to discover that some of the medium’s strongest examples take ages to coalesce into the perfect on-screen adaptation.
the sandman is one of the most highly anticipated comic book adaptations of modern times, bringing a beloved author’s magnum opus to an excited fan base and new audience. Despite appearances, however, the upcoming Netflix series is far from the first attempt at taking Neil Gaiman’s comic book franchise off the page.
Neil Gaiman’s first song the sandman hit shelves in January 1989 through DC Comics. That series, by far the most iconic of his collections, ran monthly (with some exceptions) for 75 issues until its conclusion in March 1996. The series reappeared in 1999 and then again in 2013. But the elements fans know and love, were among the best-remembered comic book moments of the 90s. That means many of the franchise’s most popular moments have been exclusive to those who read the comics for 30 years, except for the excellent audio performance. During that period, superhero movies became popular, fell out of public favor and became the most culturally dominant force in the media. During that time, one attempt after another increased, interweaving a bizarre tale of creative failure.
In 1996, shortly after the last issue of the sandman‘s original run was released to the public, serious work began on a film adaptation. Then, as now, Warner Bros. the movie rights to all DC Comics, so they were in charge. The main creative voices who wanted to launch the film were the hugely talented screenwriter duo Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. Elliot and Rossio wrote: Aladdin, Shrek, The road to El Dorado, the mask of Zorroand the first four pirates of the caribbean movies. While they are by no means a hit factory, with a few real disasters including: The Lonely Ranger in their catalog, but the power of their hits gave them great appeal. They made a look at the sandman which would have mixed the first two collections, which seems to be the approach the Netflix adaptation is also taking. Director Roger Avary was attached after the resounding success of his best-known production Pulp Fiction. Despite a solid team, things quickly broke down.
Avary repeatedly came into conflict with film producer Jon Peters, who was previously best known for producing Tim Burton’s Batman. The infighting led to Avary being fired from the project. Avary apparently got along well enough with Neil Gaiman, as the pair reconnected more than a decade later to work on Beowulf. With Avary gone and Elliot and Rossio’s script gradually being worked out, new talent had to be brought in. Most of the affiliated directors and writers didn’t stay long enough to warrant a mention, but one changed the direction of the project. William Farmer, best known for writing the story of the widely despised 2010 Jonah Hex movie turned into a script. While Gaiman never mentioned his name by name, he has said that the final script of this project turned him away from the characters. Gaiman has since returned, but that script seemed to kill his love for the project altogether.
The next take on the film that came about was a mysterious affair. In early 2014, David S. Goyer, author of The Dark Knight trilogy, joined Neil Gaiman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as producers on the project. Are dark materials writer Jack Thorne went on to work on the screenplay with some success. The studio was reportedly happy with the initial draft of the script, but something changed during the development period. Eric Heisserer, the screenwriter of Arrival, was brought in for rewrites in 2016. The day after Heisserer was hired, Joseph Gordon-Levitt left the project due to creative differences. Soon after, Heisserer followed Gordon-Levitt out the door, but he did so with some helpful advice. The screenwriter suggested to the studio that the property would be a better fit for a prestigious TV series.
The process of making the sandman in a series also went through some creative leads. the boys showrunner Eric Kripke was brought in to manage the property, but Gaiman felt his approach didn’t quite fit. Amid the multiple attempts, Netflix grabbed Match and turned it into something unique. Shortly thereafter, Warner Bros. getting started with the version of the show that will finally premiere on Netflix. Gaiman and Goyer were still linked as producers, the only remaining pieces of a strange journey.
the sandman is by no means unfilmable, but its unique tone and unbridled creativity make it difficult to adapt to the traditional studio format. Humanity may not know everything wrong with every version of the beloved text, but hopefully Gaiman has found the right team to bring his work to life.
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