Where The ‘Sandman’ Film Stands In Respect To The DC Cinematic Universe
Ever since Nikki Finke revealed what she claimed was the lineup of the DC Comics films, there has been nothing but speculation and rumor regarding nearly every aspect.
“May 2016 – Batman V Superman
July 2016 – Shazam
Xmas 2016 – Sandman
May 2017 – Justice League
July 2017 – Wonder Woman
Xmas 2017 – Flash and Green Lantern team-up
May 2018 – Man Of Steel 2?
The inclusion of Sandman in that lineup was a bit questionable to many, including The Inquisitr, as Sandman isn’t directly a part of the DC universe. Two months ago, DC rebutted with a new schedule of their own — though it was riddled with mostly untitled movie projects. Three days ago, Warner Bros. finally gave us a list of every DC film until 2020, and as The Inquisitr noted, there were several interesting films on that list that fans should be more than excited about.
- Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice – March 25th, 2016
- Suicide Squad – August 5th, 2016
- Wonder Woman – June 23rd, 2017
- Justice League – November 17th, 2017
- The Flash – March 23rd, 2018
- Aquaman – July 27th, 2018
- Shazam – April 5th, 2019
- Justice League 2 – June 14th, 2019
- Cyborg – April 3rd, 2020
- Green Lantern – June 19th, 2020
Noticeably absent, however, is the originally-posted Sandman film. What exactly happened to the Joseph Gordon-Levitt-helmed project? Is it considered a DC project anymore, and is it even still in the making? One user named shellytotter on Tumblr asked Neil Gaiman, author of Sandman, this very question (via Screen Rant).
“Despite talk last month about the script being worked on, ‘Sandman’ wasn’t mentioned by name in today’s WB news release of scheduled DC Comics films. There are previously mentioned release dates without film titles attached, so it’s not clear if the status of the project has been altered or if the team at WB decided to focus their news on the easier to group together capes & tights titles due out. Has their been a change in the production timeline? Is ‘Sandman’ going to be marketed differently?”
Never one to shy away from fan questions, Neil Gaiman gave a very direct response regarding the status of Sandman.
“It’s not a DC Comics film. It’s a Vertigo film. That’s a different slate of films, and a different announcement.”
This decision makes a lot of sense. With the Vertigo imprint being more suited for Sandman’s more dark and artsy tone than your standard men-in-tights fare, having them released on a different slate seems like a much better way to guarantee the film’s long term success. Without the DC banner behind it, mainstream fans won’t be bringing their pre-existing expectations to the flick, only to be disappointed.
What this means is that the DC brand will be distinctly DC, and will likely keep away from the less mainstream of comics, even those that fall under related imprints.
