The Sandman is one of the seminal pieces of modern fiction. Created by Neil Gaiman for DC Comics and its Vertigo imprint, the series began life as an extension of the Sandman characters from DC’s history being tied to the actual Lord of Dreams, Morpheus. However, it would expand into its own mythology, full of gods, demons, and other beings of the higher planes and how they are closely tied to the existence of humanity. The comic book series allowed Gaiman to explore high concepts, including the very idea of reality, human existence, and what lies just beyond our sleep. It was earlier announced that Mark Hamill would be joining The Sandman as Mervyn Pumpkinhead. And we now have a look of the character with the first official trailer for The Sandman. Furthermore, Neil Gaiman responds to the ‘woke’ negativity being thrown by online trolls. Read on for the details so far.
San Diego Comic-Con trailer release
Released at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, The Sandman trailer revealed new details about the upcoming Netflix adaptation. Neil Gaiman spoke during the show’s panel regarding why it took so long for a live-action version for the critically acclaimed comic book series:
♬ original sound - Xfire.com - Xfire.com Gaiman continued, describing the factors that made him change his mind in agreeing to a live action version of The Sandman: One of the elements that were difficult to translate into live action are the bizarre and otherworldly beings that Morpheus and the rest of The Endless interact with. This includes the mass murdering Corinthian (who had teeth where his eyes should be) and Mervyn Pumpkinhead, who can best be described as a scarecrow with a Jack-o’-Lantern pumpkin for his head. Mervyn serves as the janitor of The Dreaming, responsible for construction, maintenance, and clean-up of dreams. Modern CGI and VFX technology have caught up with Gaiman’s vision for The Sandman. But aside from the technical aspect, the actors filling the roles of the menagerie of colorful characters would have to be a good fit. Mervyn Pumpkinhead is particularly a challenge, as it would mostly be a voice talent, but had to convey a wide range. Thankfully, The Sandman found their man in Mark Hamill (Star Wars, Batman: The Animated Series). Hamill has made a legendary career as a voice actor after the first Star Wars trilogy was over. His take on Batman’s arch-nemesis The Joker is particularly of note, as many fans contend Hamill’s version is the most iconic, even compared to live action portrayals by Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Jared Leto.
Hamill himself
Speaking to host Felicia Day during Netflix’s Geeked Week Panel, The Sandman Showrunner Allan Heinberg had this to say about Hamill joining the cast: Neil Gaiman chimed in with his own observation of Hamill’s Mervyn Pumpkinhead portrayal: Clearly, the celebrated and multi-award winning Gaiman is happy with the casting of Hamill, as well as the rest of the main actors in The Sandman.
Response to calling The Sandman series ‘woke’
On that note, Gaiman has responded to the negativity about the casting for key roles in The Sandman, particularly with popular characters like John Constantine and Lucifer. Both characters have been played by male actors and in very popular portrayals by Matt Ryan and Tom Ellis, respectively. However, in Netflix’s The Sandman, John Constantine will be replaced by Johanna Constantine, an ancestor of the irreverent magus to be filled by actress Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who). On the other hand, Lucifer will be played by Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones). Jaded Sandman fans have also called out that Dream’s sister Death will be portrayed by a Black actress (Kirby Howell-Baptiste). Speaking to Yahoo! Entertainment, Gaiman responded to the negativity by saying: Netflix has also released the updated synopsis of The Sandman series: The Sandman comes to the Netflix streaming service this August 5, 2022.
