Recent news that a feature film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is in development has led Sandman fan and contributor to The Stake Ben Krueger to create The Sandman Watch.

It was recently announced that Warner Bros. is renewing its interest in bringing popular early 90’s graphic novel series The Sandman to the big screen. Actor/director Joseph Gordon-Levitt tweeted that he is working with screenwriter David Goyer and original creator Neil Gaiman as a Producer.

Not much is known beyond these facts but it appears to be a big step forward for fans that have hoped to see the King of Dreams make it to the big screen.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m incredibly honored to be working with David Goyer, Warner Bros, and @neilhimself on SANDMAN. #Prelude

— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) December 17, 2024

The film adaptation has been pitched and buried by several creative teams over the past 20 years, but there is an obvious draw for Warner Bros. to continue interest in development. During its original publishing run at Vertigo, The Sandman was outselling the most famous names in parent company DC Comics, Batman and Superman included. Since then its popularity has continued to grow, along with the fame of its creator Neil Gaiman.

Against my better judgment it’s difficult to remain unexcited about the possibility of a Sandman movie. The epic 75 issue series weaves tales of fantasy and horror through the anthropomorphic personification of Dream (a.k.a. Morpheus), one of the seven members of the family Eternals (Death, Destruction, Desire, Destiny, Delirium, and Despair complete the list). The universe expands throughout time to include famous DC Comics superheroes, a host of Norse gods, William Shakespeare, Lucifer, and Marco Polo with settings equally as diverse. Needless to say, this thing is going to be expensive. A success at the box office could lead the studio to a sweeping franchise, not to mention enormous profits seen by other comic book adaptations.

Until more details are revealed (Sandman Watch will cover them) I’ll save any judgment of this undertaking. While Gordon-Levitt is said to be in the running to direct, for now I can sit back and imagine Terry Gilliam, Alex Proyas, and David Lynch have just signed on to co-direct with Benedict Cumberbatch playing Morpheus. I can close my eyes and envision a daring script proudly approved (or written?) by Neil Gaiman that does justice to the well-loved series, and sleep, safely, with a smile on my face.

Ben Krueger contributed this article to The Stake. Ben is a culture enthusiast residing in St. Paul, Minnesota.