Game of Thronesstar Gwendoline Christie has reportedly been cast in Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’sThe Sandmanin an unknown role. While it has not been revealed who Christie will play in the upcoming series, two major characters in the story, Desire and Death, have allegedly not yet been cast. Based on both characters and how they appear in the source material, Desire, the third youngest of the Endless and the twin of Despair, is the much more likely candidate.
Gwendoline Christieis best known for her role as the fierce warrior Brienne of Tarth in HBO’sGame of Thrones, as well as playing Captain Phasma in Disney’sStar Warstrilogy. A role inThe Sandmanwould not be Christie’s first foray into the work of writer and creator Neil Gaiman, having previously lent her voice on the radio adaptation of his novelThe Sleeper and the Spindle.
The upcomingNetflixseries is set to be based on the seminal Neil Gaiman graphic novelThe Sandman, which originally ran for 75 issues from 1989-1996. The story ofThe Sandmanfollows the main character Dream, also known as Morpheus (among other names), a conceptual entity struggling with his place in the universe. He is one of the seven Endless, with the other Endless being Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, formerly Delight, and Destruction.The Sandmanis a story about the power of stories and how they can evolve, and how Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, is captured and subsequently learns that change is often inevitable.
According to Netflix,The Sandmanwill be “arich blend of modern myth and dark fantasyin which contemporary fiction, historical drama, and legend are seamlessly interwoven, The Sandman follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic-and human-mistakes he’s made during his vast existence.”
Filming on the seriesbegan towards the end of last year, with Gaiman confirming that cameras were now rolling, as well as teasing that casting announcements were imminent. While no official casting announcements have yet been made, recent reports claimed that the series was close to signing on British actor Tom Sturridge as the lead character, Dream. Reportedly, Sturridge auditioned for the role earlier in the year and beat outPoldark’sTom York andMerlin’sColin Morgan.
Looking beyond the lead, recent rumors have also suggested thatThe Hunger Gamesstar Liam Hemsworth andStranger Thingsstar Dacre Montgomery were being sought-after to play one of the main villains of the piece, The Corinthian, one of the many nightmarish creations of Dream.
Neil Gaiman is on board as an executive producer on the show alongside David S. Goyer, with the pair also co-writing the series along withWonder Womanwriter Allan Heinberg. Earlier this year the series addedBlack Mirrorcinematographer George Steel, andBlack MirrorandSherlockdirector Toby Haynes to the promising roster. The first season will consist of 11 episodes and will cover the firstThe Sandmangraphic novel, “Preludes & Nocturnes”. No premiere date for The Sandman has yet been announced by Netflix. This news comes to us courtesy ofDiscussing Film.
