SANDMAN Put Into Early Development By Warner Bros. TV

Hey, it's getting crowded out there in early TV development land!

The next comic book on the list might be the biggest: Neil Gaiman's Sandman.

The Hollywood Reporter says that Warner Bros. TV is in the process of obtaining the TV rights to Sandman from DC Entertainment (corporate synergy is convoluted!). They're talking to several writer/producers about helming the project and their top choice is supposedly Eric Kripke, the creator of Supernatural, a show that many people seem to love but I've never seen.

Sandman has been in various forms of development for years. Originally, during the height of its popularity in the 90s it was in film development. As of a few months ago, writer/director/producer James Mangold was talking to HBO about turning Sandman into a series there. (Maybe to air in conjunction with Preacher? Oh, wait…) But Warner Bros. TV wasn't involved with those talks and they ultimately went no where.

It's important to note that, at this stage, Neil Gaiman does not seem to be involved in the new development. But that doesn't mean he won't be involved down the road. If there is a down the road.

 

Comments

  1. I wonder in the grand scheme of things how this era of ‘comic fever’ will hold up in the eyes of comic fans and critics.

  2. Okay, I’m gonna be that guy. I would hate to see Sandman on any sort of screen. I think that the story was far too bizarre and intricate to translate well enough for viewers who aren’t into that sort of thing. I guess I have a little bit of hipster syndrome ("Aww man I love this comic and although I try to get all my friends to read it, most don’t and I still wanna keep it hidden from the public").

     Then again, maybe the show will be good :O

  3. Supernatural is surprisingly good and the premise is solid, but I don’t know how a television show could handle a lot of the themes in Sandman. I could see this ending up somewhere between Fringe and Dollhouse. If it was a BBC show, I might be more excited about it.

  4. I wonder if Television is a better format for a lot of comic properties like this? It seems like it could be an opportunity to do something really fun short story telling like X-Files or Supernatural. 

  5. TV is the wrong medium for Sandman. Budget isn’t big enough. It will end up as lame as True Blood, Smallville, etc.

  6. You do not need big budget for good stories, though

  7. I don’t really see this as a TV show, or Film. I’m not trying to be the guy that’s like "Comics should be sacred, blah blah blah".

    But seriously, reading this entire series I never thought this would work as a TV show or film.

  8. Actually there already is a Sandman show, its called Supernatural.

    Actually that show is more akin to Gaiman’s other work, American Gods, but if anyone thinks it can’t be done on tv, well they already have and its been brilliant. I cant think anyone better to head that show than Kripke.

  9. man 🙁 I thought I was going to see Wesley Dodds get his own show….

    Anyway, BBC or Chan.4 needs to aquire the rights to Hellblazer…think of the awesomeness! 

  10. I never read Sandman b/c of the awful coloring in the art, but I’ve heard that Vertigo is re-releasing Sandman trade paperbacks with the color jobs done from the Absolute Editions. IF this is true when are these new-edition Sandman books coming out? I will definitely pick those up if they improved the coloring!

  11. As long as they have wrenched creative control back out of the hands of ultimate Weirdzo Jon Peters, I’m optimistic!  Still, I’ll believe this is for real when I see it.

  12. Ditto @bansidhewail – the further away Peters is from anything, the more chance it has of not sucking.

  13. Hmmm. The Sandman is one of my all-time favorite series, but… well, I think there’s the potential to do a TV show. Approached with the class of AMC or HBO, you could strip away some of the clutter and there are some good streamlined TV stories there. Sandman trapped for years and then released, must clean up his kingdom and retrieve his belongings. Then the Doll’s House could work quite well as a season arc. And then Season of the Mists could be quite interesting as a story arc — but it wouldn’t work as an action/suspense show. They’ve gotta focus on the drama. Season of the Mists in particular would have to be played as a supernatural West Wing. 

    So, I think if they adapt it very loosely, but with respect for the important themes, and they keep it more dramatic than forced action, a show like that miiiiight work.

    And if not — Ah well. I’ve got my Sandman series right there on my shelf. And it ain’t going anywhere. 🙂 

  14. @SpiderTitan they are coming out in october, the first 3, and released on the same day

  15. There’s nothing saying they have to use the story arcs from the comics. There are so many possibilities for the creators to make their own stories using the preexisting characters. Maybe have a Hob Gadling story each season.
  16. Supernatural is pretty great. It’s a LOT of fun. I can’t believe it too THIS long for somebody to say "You know what would be a cool show? If Han Solo and Luke Skywalker drove around in a classic car and killed demons." because that’s pretty much what Supernatural is. I’m not saying it’s Mad Men, or Breaking Bad, but it is a great, fun show with some more depth and drama than it’s given credit for. 

     

    That being said, I always thought Sandman would be better as a TV show than a movie. TV allows you to tell a much longer, more intricate story. I always thought of Sandman as an animated show more than a live action one. But done correctly, with enough of a budget, I think there is potential for a great show here.  

  17. If, Gaiman is involved & it is anthology series of one & dones. It could be cool. Most likely neither of those will happen and it will make me cry.

  18. If by some chance anyone reading this does not get Conor’s reference in the subtitle (Someone tell Ron to grab his long black coat, make-up, and mesh gloves!), you need to find the episode on this site where Ron does just that. Classic!

  19. @HailScott You are correct. That episode was hysterical!