After years of failed attempts, "The Sandman" could be ready to make the leap from dreams into reality.
Warner Brothers Television and DC Entertainment are in the early stages of negotiating the rights to adapt "The Sandman" as a TV series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Former "Supernatural" showrunner and creator Erik Kripke is said to be at the top of the list of producers under consideration to lead the project.
This incarnation of "The Sandman" began in 1989 when writer Neil Gaiman was given the edict to create a new character with the name of an older DC property. Over the course of seventy five issues, Gaiman and a host of artists told the story of Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams along with his eclectic brothers and sisters: Destiny, Death, Destruction, Despair, Desire and Delirium; who were collectively known as The Endless.
The mixture of fantasy and mythology helped propel "Sandman" to a wider audience than most of DC's titles and helped pave the way for the modern line of Vertigo comics, which feature more mature stories for older comic book readers. The series has also proven to be one of the most influential comic book series of its time and helped push Gaiman into superstar status.
Previously, there have been several attempts to adapt "The Sandman" as a feature film. More recently, DC was in talks with sister company HBO to develop "Sandman" as a TV series, but the project failed to take hold there.
Although Gaiman is not currently involved with the latest attempt, the story states that his involvement will prove crucial for the project; not only for the legion of "Sandman" fans, but also to help secure Kripke as well.
While it remains to be seen if the current adaptation attempt will be successful, "The Sandman" remains a popular title in collected editions even fourteen years after it was finished as a comic book series.
