‘The Sandman’: What Is Neil Gaiman Best Known For?
It seemed like it might never arrive, but Netflix finally released The Sandman on Aug. 5, 2022. When the streaming service shared the show’s first footage in 2021, fans expected it to debut shortly afterward. We had to wait nearly a year to see the finished product, but the wait was worth it. Neil Gaiman, the author whose comics inspired the show, said the cast for the adaptation — including Tom Sturridge as Dream — is a strong one. The show promises to be a hit among fantasy fans, but what is Gaiman best known for? It might not be The Sandman.
‘The Sandman’ follows characters from the real world and dream world
Morpheus, aka Dream aka Sandman, controls the dream world humans enter when they fall asleep. When a group of wizards hoping to cheat death capture and imprison him for a century, it starts a series of events that threaten the waking and dream worlds. As the Netflix synopsis reads:
To restore order, Dream must journey across different worlds and timelines to mend the mistakes he’s made during his vast existence, revisiting old friends and foes, and meeting new entities — both cosmic and human — along the way.
In addition to Sturridge as Dream, The Sandman cast includes Boyd Holbrook as Sandman’s nemesis, The Corinthian; Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Dream’s sister; Vivienne Acheampong as Lucien, the trusted guardian of Dream’s realm; Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer; and Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven.
The Sandman comic book has a fierce cult following, but is it what Gaiman is best known for?
What is Neil Gaiman best known for? ‘The Sandman’ ranks high on the list
The Sandman is the latest Gaiman project to enter the real world, and it’s been a long time coming.
Gaiman revealed in press materials that his biggest role in ushering The Sandman to the screen was to stop bad ones from happening. David S. Goyer took the lead on a Sandman movie that never came to fruition, and Gaiman approved of that adaptation. Gaiman, Goyer, and Allan Heinberg executive produced the series for Netflix.
Though fans and Gaiman himself have been waiting for The Sandman, it might not be what Gaiman is best known for.
Gaiman racked up award wins (Comedy.co.uk Awards, Dragon Awards, Hugo Awards, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) in 2019 and 2020 for the Prime Video series Good Omens.
The author picked up Hugo, SFFWA, and SFX Awards wins for penning the Doctor Who episode “The Doctor’s Wife.”
Gaiman wrote the English adaptation of the anime classic Princess Mononoke, the novel Stardust that inspired the movie of the same name, and the screenplay for Beowulf. He wrote the novel Coraline, which later became a hit movie. Oh, and Gaiman wrote Marvel Knights: Eternals, the animated show that predated the movie.
The Sandman’s devoted fans adore Gaiman for the comic books, but he might be best known for other works depending on who you ask.
How many episodes are in ‘The Sandman’ Season 1, and will there be a season 2?
The Sandman Season 1 contains 10 episodes, and Gaiman, Goyer, and Heinberg penned the script for the first one. That number is similar to Netflix shows like The Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things, and Ozark
Each chapter of The Sandman will be around an hour long, giving fans plenty to look forward to. And it sounds like Dream’s story may not end there.
Although Netflix has yet to renew the series for another go-round, Goyer told Den of Geek that the creators are already planning for more, saying, “With [the] groundwork done, the show can now build on those themes.”
With Stranger Things preparing for an epic finale, The Sandman could position itself as Netflix’s next big fantasy hit. If that comes to pass, it could be what Neil Gaiman becomes best known for.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe toShowbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
