Lwait is over (or almost, there are a few hours left). The Sandmannew Netflix series in ten episodes, which finally adapts the homonymous comic series considered one of the best ever to the small screen, is about to land on TV. From tomorrow, August 5th, The Sandman it will indeed available on Netflix. The official trailer has been circulating since the end of July and the critics who have seen the series have defined it “A visual marvel”.
The Sandman: the comic series
The Sandman from Netflix is inspired by the homonymous comic series conceived by the British Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics in the United States between 88 and ’96. Which soon went around the world (it arrived in Italy in the Nineties). They have been published 75 issues, collected in ten volumes. Three thousand pages of history, a huge thing.
But to characterize The Sandman it’s not just the length that makes it the epic story. Nor the fact that it is a comic, therefore of a fantasy developed with touches horror (which, more than fear, arouse suspense). The extra element lies in the story (starting with the protagonists Dream, Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, Delirium) contaminated by mythological references that become a symbol of feelings, fears and human weaknesses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieRKVFluEAE
The typical deities of mythology, however, have nothing to do with it. We talk more about anthropomorphic beings who embody very human passions. In addition, rituals and symbology related to some objects (such as those of the power of Dream, the helmet, the ruby and the sandbag of dreams) led the comic series to have different levels of reading, as if it were a kind of small Lord of the Rings.
All this mix, at the time of its deeply innovative release, made The Sandman a comic book series for adults. The first ever conceived. And one of the best ever made. Such was the appreciation from to have entered the ranking of even the best literary works. The Los Angeles Times called it: “The greatest epic saga in the history of comics.” Even a sacred monster like Stephen Kingwho signed the introduction of one of the volumes, wrote: “Great stories and we are all lucky to have them.”
The transposition for TV
The idea of adaptation for TV or cinema has always been there (we thought of a feature film, a film) but nothing has ever been done. It is only in 2019 that Netflix signs the agreement with Warner Bros (who had already bought the rights to the comic series) to make it into a fantasy TV series.
Morpheus’ Kingdom of Dreams in Ruin (Netflix Press Office)
To create it, Allan Heinberg (screenwriter of Wonder Woman, The Catch, Grey’s Anatomy, and in The Sandman he is also showrunner), David S. Goyer (author of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight), And Neil Gaiman, the same creator of the comic series. Neil Gaiman explained the reason for such a long wait: «The problem was that you have three thousand pages of history and trying to compress them into a two-hour film meant throwing away everything that made Sandman interesting, human. Eventually you ended up with something that meant nothing. ‘
The Sandman how Game of thrones?
He had had a similar problem George RR Martin author of A Song of Ice and Fire which inspired him Game of thrones: a huge amount of material, difficult to compress even in a trilogy in style Lord of the Rings. In the end, from the work of George RR Martin was born the champion series of plays Game of throneswhich is now leading to the anticipated prequel House of Dragon (of which Martin is also co-creator and executive producer).
This affinity, together with the special effects that in The Sandman they promise to be truly spectacular, creates great expectations. Everyone is looking forward to saying that The Sandman is the new Game of Thrones.
The protagonist Dream-Sandman
We are in an imaginary world divided into realms, each ruled by the Eternals (or Endless), who they embody feelings and passions. They have existed forever and forever. The Eternals are seven: Dream, Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, Delirium. Then there is the world of humans, conditioned, in spite of itself, by the choices and events that occur in the realms of the Eternals.
The protagonist is Dream, also called Morpheus, lord of the realm of Dreams. Solitary and mysterious, he always wears black, every now and then he has intercourse with his sister Death. It has the task of managing the asleep. He is known as the Sandman because, sprinkling the eyes of men with its magic sand, it makes you dream. But she can also bring nightmares and torment. In his kingdom live creatures like the griffin, the winged horse and biblical characters such as Cain and Abelin constant struggle with each other.
Reign of Desiderius, played by Mason Alexander Park, The Sandman (Netflix Press Office)
The Sandman: the plot
The story begins with Sandman (Tom Sturridge) who is captured by Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance), blackmail magician who would like to imprison Death to obtain immortality. For a mistake, however, he fits Dream. His imprisonment lasts 105 yearsand when Dream-Sandman finds freedom (or rather manages to escape) it’s 2021. The world has changed and his absence has created problems in both his kingdomnow in ruins, the nightmares have fled, both in the real world where people suffer from insomnia and, if he sleeps, he does so in an agitated, convulsive manner.
To restore order, Sandman has to traverse worlds and timelines damaged in his absence. He meets great friends, old enemies and new human and supernatural entities. The first thing he has to do is find the tools of his power that were stolen from him. The magic sandbag (he retrieves it from John Constantine), his war helmet (he takes it from a demon from hell) and an amulet with a ruby (he finds it in the possession of the mad Doctor Doom).
The Sandman: other protagonists and performers
Important is the figure of the Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) a runaway nightmare who wants to savor everything in the world, thus ruining people’s lives. But there is also Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie), ruler of Hell, elegant, beautiful and cunning. Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman), Necromancer with a bright but edgy character. Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Sogno’s sister, she is the wisest, most beautiful and reasonable of the Eternals. Desire (Mason Alexander Park), embodiment of everything that everyone desires or wants to be. Despair (Donna Preston), Desiderio’s twin sister, she arrives whenever there is no more hope: she is the darkest and most somber of the Eternals. Cain (Sanjeev Bhaskar) and Abel (Amid Chaudry), the first murderer and the first victim in the history of mankind. Dr. Destiny (David Thewlis), inmate of Arkham Asylum in possession of the Dream ruby.
Differences between the tv series and the comic series
The main difference is the temporal one: Dream is captured in both cases in 1916. But in the comic series finds freedom in 88after seventy years of imprisonment, while in the TV series he is detained for over a century. In fact, when he is free, he is catapulted into the world of 2021.
Johanna Constantine, played by Jenna Coleman, The Sandman (Netflix Press Office)
Then there are differences on the characters: for example in the TV series the character of John Constantine, featured in the comic, is replaced by Johanna Constantine (perhaps due to rights issues with DC Comics).
The mammoth budget
According to the well-informed US site Deadline, Netflix would have shelled out up to $ 15 million per episode. Since the first season is ten episodes, the overall budget should be around $ 150 million. Not to mention the marketing expenses.
Such a cost only confirms the expectations of amazing special effects which require high investments. And it always is Neil Gaiman to confirm that “On a technological level, we are making Sandman in a way that we could never have dreamed of 10 or 15 years ago”.
The Sandman: how many seasons yet? Lots of them
This first season of The Sandman basically tells the story of the first two volumes of the comic series, Preludes and Nocturnes and a Doll’s House. Eight more volumes are left over. Not to mention prequels and anthological volumes of comics what have been made of it. It means that, if desired, the next few seasons could be much more than many.
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