Joseph Gordon-Levitt Gives ‘Sandman’ Update
As the comic book adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman inches through pre-production, the reality of it actually making it to the big screen looks more and more promising–especially with Joseph Gordon-Levitt at the director’s helm. In an interview he did with Moviefone while promoting his new film Sin City: A Dame To Kill For earlier this week, Gordon-Levitt gave updates on the progress of Sandman and how it compares to a property like Sin City.
Right now we’re working on a script. It’s me and [David S.] Goyer and the screenwriter and Neil Gaiman, as well as the good folks at DC and Warner Bros. It’s a really cool team of people. It’s a lot of the same people who worked on the Nolan Batman movies. It’s really exciting. There’s not a script yet, we’re still kind of working it out because it’s such a complicated adaptation because Sandman wasn’t written as novels. Sin City was written as a novel. Sandman is 75 episodic issues. There’s a reason people have been trying and failing to adapt Sandman for the past 20 years.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and company will no doubt face many different challenges along the way with Sandman, just as the others before him have. Though with proven talent like David S. Goyer, and the geeky, enthusiastic can-do frame of mind he’s had with every one of his projects, the odds seem to be in Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s favor.
As far as marketing goes, however, there may be a bit of an uphill battle for Sandman. When people think of DC comic book adaptations, chances are the majority of them instantly gravitate to the traditional superhero genre titles like the tried-and-true properties like Batman and Superman–titles nothing like Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Sandman, and that have much broader appeal. One has to wonder how DC and Warner Bros. will stand behind it.
Last June, Nikki Finke revealed what she claimed was DC and Warner Bros. plan for their films over the next few years. On that list, interestingly enough, was Sandman, despite the fact that its connection to the DC universe is questionable (though if you talk to some fans, very apparent):
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
This seemed promising for fans of Sandman. However, when DC and Warner Bros. revealed their own schedule of what’s to come in the DC cinematic universe (which featured a lot of Untitled DC Film slots), and missing from that list was Sandman along with a DC Christmas release date altogether (via Screen Rant):
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice – March 25th, 2016
Untitled DC Film – August 5th, 2016
Untitled DC Film – June 23rd, 2017
Untitled DC Film – November 17th, 2017
Untitled DC Film – March 23rd, 2018
Untitled DC Film – July 27th, 2018
Untitled DC Film – April 5th, 2019
Untitled DC Film – June 14th, 2019
Untitled DC Film – April 3rd, 2020
Untitled DC Film – June 19th, 2020
Now not to say DC and Warner Bros. won’t back Sandman when it comes out, but it was a bit interesting in its absence, nonetheless. Only time will tell.
What do you all think? Are you excited for Sandman or are you more stoked for the more traditional titles?
