Netflix has released new images from The Sandman, the upcoming live-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s critically-acclaimed comic book of the same name. While Netflix hasn't yet announced the release date of the upcoming series, the new images focus on two of the adaptation's main characters: Tom Sturridge as Dream and Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer.
The first image shows Dream with open arms while the world around him crumbles into ruins. The caption “I reach out my substance, and I shape the world” is a direct nod to how Dream can shape dreams and nightmares with his will alone, controlling the human connection with creativity, imagination, and repressed feelings. The second image depicts Lucifer Morningstar, who is the depressed, bored, and unwilling lord of hell in The Sandman comic books. The caption “Have you come to join forces?” seems to indicate the image comes from a scene showing Dream’s visit to Hell, an event that ultimately leads Lucifer to abandon their post.
The Sandman follows the struggles of Dream (Tom Sturridge), one of seven immortal beings known as the Endless, who guide humanity's lives from their mystical realms. The series is also confirmed to feature three other Endless. First, we have Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Dream’s sister, who is always joyful and optimistic in comic books. Then, we have Desire (Mason Alexander Park), capable of assuming any gender to bring lust to the hearths of everyone. Finally, Desire's twin sister, Despair (Donna Preston), is the personification of dread, known for showing her eyes when humans who are on the brink of giving up take a look into the mirror.
The first season of The Sandman is reported to cover the story of The Sandman, Volume 1: Preludes & Nocturnes, a collection of comic book issues that follows Dream’s capture by a cult in the early 1900s and his subsequent escape a century later. The Sandman's cast also includes Gwendoline Christie, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Donna Preston, Jenna Coleman, Niamh Walsh, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Kyo Ra, Stephen Fry, Razane Jammal, Sandra James Young, and Patton Oswalt.
The Sandman is one of the highlights of this year’s Netflix Geek Week event, so we should be getting a full trailer and maybe a release date between June 6 and June 10. However, so far, all we know is that The Sandman is expected to premiere sometime in 2022. Check out the new images below.