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Neil Gaiman is a very influential figure in the world of dark fantasy and science fiction literature, producing many bestselling works over his long career. Some of his most well-known novels are The Graveyard Book, Good Omens, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but arguably one of his most famous and beloved creations is Sandman, a comic book series published by DC Comics that is finally getting adapted as a television series, something fans have wanted for a long time. Although there have been attempts in the past, Netflix is truly making it happen. Gaiman’s The Sandman series began in 1989, but the story has greatly expanded since then and is still an important part of DC Comics’ lineup today.

Executive produced by Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer, with Heinberg also serving as the Season 1 showrunner, The Sandman is well on its way to premiering on Netflix. If you are eager to know more about the upcoming show, here’s everything we know so far about The Sandman.

Editor’s Note: This piece was last updated on July 25 to add the latest trailer.

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Image via Netflix

RELATED: Netflix's ‘The Sandman’: David S. Goyer Teases That the Most Tricky Stories to Adapt Will Be the Most "Genre-Bending"

What Is the Release Date of The Sandman Season 1?

Netflix has announced that the first season of The Sandman is arriving on August 5, 2022.

Is There a Trailer for The Sandman?

So far, Netflix has released a small first look trailer of the highly anticipated TV series, with just enough to give fans new and old a good sneak peek of Dream’s story. After that, a short teaser trailer for the series was unveiled by Netflix at their TUDUM fan event, which shows Dream’s summoning and capture during an occult ritual. Netflix also released a behind-the-scenes video of The Sandman’s production earlier in the summer, which features comments by Gaiman and a look at the show’s process. Along with the first sneak peek at The Sandman, Netflix also released character posters for Dream, Desire, and Death at the TUDUM event. During San Diego Comic-Con 2022, we finally got a full-length trailer for the series teasing a battle between Dream and The Corinthian, with a few shots of Death, Desire, and others. Check out the latest trailer here:

Who Is In the Cast of The Sandman?

Netflix has recruited a bunch of huge talent to play many important roles in The Sandman. Of course, the most important role is the title character, played by Tom Sturridge, whose most prominent past projects are On The Road and Far from the Madding Crowd. Charles Dance and Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones will co-star as well as Kirby Howell-Baptiste from The Good Place, David Thewlis of the Harry Potter movie series, well-known British comedian and actor Stephen Fry, and Jenna Coleman of Victoria. Also starring in The Sandman are Boyd Holbrook, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Joely Richardson, Kyo Ra, Razane Jammal, Sandra James-Young, Vivienne Acheampong, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar in various roles. Patton Oswalt is also doing voice work for a very important character, with a long resume that includes Ratatouille, Bojack Horseman, the new Spider-Man animated series, and more.

Who Are the Confirmed Characters in The Sandman?

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Image via Netflix

The show will focus on Dream (Sturridge), a powerful figure who is known by many names, including Morpheus, the King of Dreams, Kai'ckul, Oneiros, Lord of the Dreaming, and of course, Sandman. Dream is one of the seven Endless, powerful beings who each control a different part of existence. For Dream, his realm is known as the Dreaming, and while he is held prisoner for decades the kingdom falls into disarray and his responsibilities surrounding sleep, dreams, and nightmares are left unfulfilled. Dream has one longtime ally in Lucien, played by Acheampong, the Dreaming’s loyal librarian who tries to keep the realm together during Dream’s absence, while Oswalt is voicing Dream’s lifelong companion, a raven named Matthew.

Meanwhile, the person at fault for Dream’s disappearance from the Dreaming is Roderick Burgess, played by Dance, the power-hungry occultist who leads a quest to capture Death and gain immortality but instead summons Dream. Fearing intense retribution if he lets Dream go, Burgess keeps him prisoner for decades. Burgess’s lover is a determined, intelligent woman named Ethel Cripps, played by Niamh Walsh in the early 1900s and Joely Richardson in the present day, who is also the mother of John Dee, also known as Doctor Destiny. Dee, played by Thewlis, is a crazed man on a quest for “Truth,” who ends up in possession of one of Dream’s most important items.

Lucifer, the ruler of Hell, will be played by Christie, while Holbrook is portraying The Corinthian, a nightmare who escapes the Dreaming. There will also be Bhaskar and Chaudry playing the well-known biblical figures Cain and Abel, respectively, who both live in the Dreaming.

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RELATED: 'The Sandman' Reveals Our First Look at Gwendoline Christie as the Devil HerselfGaiman went into details about all of the other important characters of The Sandman series and the casting process in a blog post that can be found on Netflix’s official site. Death, played by Howell-Baptiste, is described as “Dream's wiser, nicer, and much more sensible sister.” She appears to be the sibling that Dream is closest to, the one person who can truly speak the truth to him whether he likes what he hears or not. At the same time, Death is great at her job, and she’s a constant comfort to the souls she meets passing over.

Then there is Desire, portrayed by nonbinary actor Park who uses they/them pronouns, and Despair, played by Preston, twin siblings of Dream. From their names, you can probably guess their roles in the world and what their personalities are like. In particular, Gaiman took a moment to state that “Desire is also trouble for Dream,” but he didn’t give further detail on why that might be.

The Sandman will also feature a character named Johanna Constantine, an ancestor of John Constantine from DC Comics. The character will be played by Coleman and appear in two forms, both in the 18th century and the present, and Gaiman describes her as “tough, brilliant, tricky, haunted and probably doomed.”

There are also a group of characters appearing in Season 1 who play an important part in the second major storyline from The Sandman, vol. 2: The Doll's House. This includes Rose Walker, played by Ra, who is searching for her missing brother and finds “a connection to Dream that neither of them can escape,” and her friend Lyta Hall, played by Jammal. Rose has a mysterious benefactor named Unity Kinkaid (James-Young) who awakens after being asleep for 100 years with a drive to live life to the fullest, along with a devoted protector named Gilbert (Fry), who is always by Rose’s side.

Related:James McAvoy on Why He'd Love to Play a Young Jean-Luc Picard and Playing 'The Sandman' for Audible

What Is the Plot of The Sandman?

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Image via Netflix

The first season of The Sandman is reported to cover the story of The Sandman, volume 1: Preludes & Nocturnes, which follows Dream’s capture by Burgess and his occult followers in the early 1900s and his subsequent 105 years in captivity. Dream is able to finally escape in 2021 while under the watch of Burgess and his son Alex, a character who has not been mentioned in any casting announcements but might be played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who is credited as “Alex” on the show’s IMDb page. Some people will likely recognize the young actor from his work in Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor. After escaping, Dream is still very weak, returning to his realm of the Dreaming to find everything out of order. Dream then sets out on a quest to retrieve his totems of power, which are a pouch of sand, a helm, and a ruby, and these adventures feature the introduction of important characters like Death, Lucifer, and Dee.

Due to information released by both Netflix and Gaiman so far, it appears that Season 1 of The Sandman will also dip into the storyline of The Doll’s House, which will find Dream on a new journey to retrieve a few of his creations who have escaped from the Dreaming, while also showcasing two of his Endless siblings, Desire and Despair. As an adaptation, the television series might be forced to change some things from the original story due to the differences in medium, but given that Gaiman is executive producing, fans of The Sandman can expect the spirit of the comic series to remain no matter what direction the show goes in.

Related:'The Sandman': Neil Gaiman Chides "Fans" Criticizing Casting of Nonbinary and Black Actors

How Many Episodes Will The Sandman Season 1 Have?

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Image via Netflix

In total, the first season of The Sandman will have 11 episodes, all of which will likely be around an hour long, as is per usual with Netflix drama shows.

When and Where Did The Sandman Season 1 Film?

The first season of Netflix's The Sandman began filming on October 15, 2020, with Gaiman confirming the date on his Twitter. He also revealed in a comment responding to a fan that the entirety of Season 1 is filmed in the UK, with plans for other filming locations halted by COVID-19. Based on sightings, Surrey, England appears to be one of the main shooting locations for Season 1 as well as a film studio in London.

Gaiman then revealed on his personal Tumblr account at the beginning of August 2021 that principal photography for The Sandman's first season was finished, but warned fans to be patient as post-production work, including video effects and the score, still had to be completed at the time of posting.