In 1989 a new comic book series hit the shelves and made history. The Sandman became the first comic series to become a New York Times Bestseller and developed a huge cult following.

The original comic was part of the DC Family and ran for 75 issues. The story was part myth, part history and part horror and it was considered a comic for the intellectual crowd. The main character, Dream, is one of the seven Endless and is connected to various storyline in the DC Universe.

Neil Gaiman created the series and remained at the helm as writer throughout the 75 issues. He is also heavily involved in the latest incarnation of The Sandman‘s development from page to screen. It’s been a bumpy ride for this series, spending years in development purgatory, but it finally found it’s way out of the hole and onto the screen.

The series bounced back and forth from film to series while in development. It had several big names attached to it overtime but none seemed to stick long enough to see the project through. Finally in June 2019 Netflix stepped in and signed a deal that led to production beginning in October 2020.

The premise of the series begins in 1914 when Dream, one of the Endless, is captured during an occult ritual. He is held for 105 years until he wins his freedom. Now loose in 2021, Dream is determined to restore his kingdom at any cost.

Tom Sturridge was cast as Dream in September 2020 and after some back and forth, Gwendoline Christie was cast as Lucifer. There was an idea floating around for a while that casting Tom Ellis as Lucifer might bring continuity to the project but it was later decided that his incarnation of the character had strayed to far from the original comic during the 2016 series.

The first season of The Sandman will air later this year. There will be 11 episodes in the first season and creator/producer, Neil Gaiman, promised fans that the TV series will follow the original series very closely, wit the only major deviation being the series begins in 2021 rather than the 1980s of the comic series.

With no set date on the horizon, you can set a reminder through the official page on the Netflix site so you can be the first to know when it will air. In the meantime, you can check out the award-winning audiobook version of the series. For fans of the show who have been waiting for this project for years, just hold on … The Sandman is coming!