The English actor perfectly conveyed the King of Dream’s fury and kindness in The Sandman, but the creator of the character has revealed that another famous name had initially hoped to fill the role. 

While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Neil Gaiman shared that Michael Jackson wanted to play Dream of The Endless. 

“By 1996, I was being taken to Warners, where the then-president of Warner Bros. sat me down and told me that Michael Jackson had phoned him the day before and asked him if he could star as Morpheus in The Sandman,” said the author who also serves as executive producer on the show. “So, there was a lot of interest in this and they knew that it was one of the Crown Jewels and what did I think? And I was like, ‘Ooh-um.’”

The fact that the King of Pop (who passed away in 2009) asked to portray the King of Dreams is testament to how long it has taken to get The Sandman made. Joseph Gordon Levitt was initially set to produce and star as the comic book character in a film which was announced in 2013 but never got off the ground. 

“I was like, ‘It’s going to be so easy to cast! We just find, you know, an English-speaking actor with great cheekbones, there’s loads of them out there,’” Gaiman said of the Netflix series. “We saw, in the end, about 1,500 Morpheus auditions.”

The post Neil Gaiman Reveals Who Asked for the Lead in ”The Sandman” appeared first on EverydayKoala.

The series centers on the master of dreams called Morpheus/Dream, who gives shape to all of our deepest fears and fantasies in a place called the Dreaming. After being captured and held captive for over a century, he manages to break free and starts a journey across different worlds and timelines to restore order to the kingdom of the Dreaming.

There have been several attempts to adapt The Sandman over the years, but this is the first successful one. Neil Gaiman told the Comic-Con audience that he spent 30 years trying to stop bad adaptations from happening, but he’s putting his full trust in this one.

“The determination everywhere to make this and get it right has been absolutely a breath of fresh air. This is Sandman being made for people who love Sandman, by people who love Sandman… I feel like I’m on the cusp, and I cannot wait until people see this show,” explained the author.

The cast of The Sandman will be led by Tom Sturridge, and it will also include Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and many more. The first season will debut on Netflix on August 5 and will feature a total of 10 episodes.

The post First Teaser for “The Sandman” Does Justice to Neil Gaiman’s Iconic Comic Book Series appeared first on EverydayKoala.

Gaiman oversaw and developed the upcoming Terry Pratchett series, Good Omens with Amazon and the BBC. He is also the author of best selling novels Coraline, Stardust, and American Gods.

The streaming giants obviously formed a successful working relationship with the talented writer when working with him on Good Omens. It has just been confirmed that Gaiman has signed an exclusive deal to produce TV projects for Amazon Studios.

“What decided me was how much I enjoyed working with the Amazon team on Good Omens,” Gaiman said of the deal. “They are smart, gloriously enthusiastic people, who weren’t afraid of Good Omens being different but who were as determined as I was to make something as unique and exciting as it is.

He added: “I’m thrilled to know that I’ll have a home at Amazon in the future where I can make television that nobody’s seen before, that’s quite unlike Good Omens, but just as unusual and just as much fun.”

Jennifer Sakle, head of Amazon Studios, reciprocated Gaiman’s high praise, expressing their excitement about the deal:

“Neil Gaiman is a phenomenally talented writer, who creates worlds that are compelling, multi-dimensional and narratively unique. His fans are ardent, vocal and passionate and we are fortunate to bring his gifted vision to the Prime Video audience.”

The post Neil Gaiman Signs Production Deal With Amazon Studios appeared first on EverydayKoala.

The English actor perfectly conveyed the King of Dream’s fury and kindness in The Sandman, but the creator of the character has revealed that another famous name had initially hoped to fill the role. 

While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Neil Gaiman shared that Michael Jackson wanted to play Dream of The Endless. 

“By 1996, I was being taken to Warners, where the then-president of Warner Bros. sat me down and told me that Michael Jackson had phoned him the day before and asked him if he could star as Morpheus in The Sandman,” said the author who also serves as executive producer on the show. “So, there was a lot of interest in this and they knew that it was one of the Crown Jewels and what did I think? And I was like, ‘Ooh-um.’”

The fact that the King of Pop (who passed away in 2009) asked to portray the King of Dreams is testament to how long it has taken to get The Sandman made. Joseph Gordon Levitt was initially set to produce and star as the comic book character in a film which was announced in 2013 but never got off the ground. 

“I was like, ‘It’s going to be so easy to cast! We just find, you know, an English-speaking actor with great cheekbones, there’s loads of them out there,’” Gaiman said of the Netflix series. “We saw, in the end, about 1,500 Morpheus auditions.”

The post Neil Gaiman Reveals Who Asked for the Lead in ”The Sandman” appeared first on EverydayKoala.

The series centers on the master of dreams called Morpheus/Dream, who gives shape to all of our deepest fears and fantasies in a place called the Dreaming. After being captured and held captive for over a century, he manages to break free and starts a journey across different worlds and timelines to restore order to the kingdom of the Dreaming.

There have been several attempts to adapt The Sandman over the years, but this is the first successful one. Neil Gaiman told the Comic-Con audience that he spent 30 years trying to stop bad adaptations from happening, but he’s putting his full trust in this one.

“The determination everywhere to make this and get it right has been absolutely a breath of fresh air. This is Sandman being made for people who love Sandman, by people who love Sandman… I feel like I’m on the cusp, and I cannot wait until people see this show,” explained the author.

The cast of The Sandman will be led by Tom Sturridge, and it will also include Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and many more. The first season will debut on Netflix on August 5 and will feature a total of 10 episodes.

The post First Teaser for “The Sandman” Does Justice to Neil Gaiman’s Iconic Comic Book Series appeared first on EverydayKoala.

Gaiman oversaw and developed the upcoming Terry Pratchett series, Good Omens with Amazon and the BBC. He is also the author of best selling novels Coraline, Stardust, and American Gods.

The streaming giants obviously formed a successful working relationship with the talented writer when working with him on Good Omens. It has just been confirmed that Gaiman has signed an exclusive deal to produce TV projects for Amazon Studios.

“What decided me was how much I enjoyed working with the Amazon team on Good Omens,” Gaiman said of the deal. “They are smart, gloriously enthusiastic people, who weren’t afraid of Good Omens being different but who were as determined as I was to make something as unique and exciting as it is.

He added: “I’m thrilled to know that I’ll have a home at Amazon in the future where I can make television that nobody’s seen before, that’s quite unlike Good Omens, but just as unusual and just as much fun.”

Jennifer Sakle, head of Amazon Studios, reciprocated Gaiman’s high praise, expressing their excitement about the deal:

“Neil Gaiman is a phenomenally talented writer, who creates worlds that are compelling, multi-dimensional and narratively unique. His fans are ardent, vocal and passionate and we are fortunate to bring his gifted vision to the Prime Video audience.”

The post Neil Gaiman Signs Production Deal With Amazon Studios appeared first on EverydayKoala.