Netflix has finally given us our first look into the dreamscape of The Sandman. As part of their TUDUM: A Netflix Global Fan Event, the streamer released three new character posters for the series, adapted from Neil Gaiman’s famous comic book series of the same name, showing off the trio of siblings around whom the show’s fantastical tale revolves: Dream (Tom Sturridge), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), and Desire (Mason Alexander Park).
The posters, which accompany exclusive first look footage, presented by Gaiman, Sturridge, and Howell-Baptiste, present the siblings partially shrouded in shadows, shaped appropriately for their characters: the head of a raven for Dream — better known to Sandman fans as Morpheus — the wings of a dark angel for Death, and a hand gently caressing the face of Desire. The posters are grim, featuring intense, ominous captions like “your time is up”, “no one is above desire”, and “it’s never only a dream”.
The three siblings join an impressive cast of characters from across the world Gaiman created for DC Comics: Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, an occultist and conman, David Thewlis as Doctor Destiny, even Game of Thrones’ statuesque Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer herself. We even hear Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian in Netflix’s first look at the series, a walking nightmare warning Burgess that he’s going to need all the help he can get after summoning Morpheus for his own foolish gain.
Netflix’s adaptation of the hit comic series has been long-awaited and highly anticipated, after several attempts to adapt Gaiman’s work never made it off the ground. The on-screen adaptation also coincides with several other adaptations of the work and its characters, including a narrated version of the comic series for Audible, as well as the Dead Boy Detectives, minor characters from The Sandman, being featured in the newest season of HBO Max’s Doom Patrol, as well as receiving a pilot order for a potential show of their own.
The Sandman also stars Asim Chaudry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Donna Preston, Jenna Coleman, Stephen Fry, and Patton Oswalt. No release date has been announced, but in the meantime, fans can check out the official synopsis for the series, along with the new posters, below:
A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, The Sandman follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic--and human--mistakes he's made during his vast existence.