Doctor Who director Toby Haynes has reportedly joined production on Netflix's upcoming TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Based off the best-selling comic series that ran from 1989 to 1996, the show will follow the dark adventures of Morpheus, also known as Dream, an ancient deity who rules over the dream world. After being imprisoned for seventy years, Morpheus sets out to rebuild his fallen kingdom and reclaim his place as the King of Dreams.
Per The Iluminerdi, Haynes has reportedly joined the cast of directors for an unspecified number of episodes. Haynes is primarily known for his work on the long-running British science fiction series Doctor Who, where his directorial contributions include the epic two-part finale to season 5, "The Pandorica Opens" and "The Big Bang." He also headed the Emmy Award-winning episode of Black Mirror, "USS Callister," a dark spoof of Star Trek featuring a stark warning of the dangers of consciousness-replicating technology.
A live-action version of The Sandman has been in development hell for decades, with previous attempts at adapting the comic having eventually failed for one reason or another. Notably, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was at one point set to direct a film adaptation with himself in the lead role as Morpheus, but he eventually stepped away from the project due to creative differences with New Line Cinema. Similarly, HBO attempted to adapt the series for TV, but the project never got off the ground due to a conflict with Warner Bros.
Yet despite past failures, Netflix's planned adaptation of The Sandman appears to be going well so far. Gaiman himself has commented he is excited for the series and said it will be very faithful to his original work. While the TV show will be updated for a modern setting, it will include storylines from the comics and will also add new material on top of that. So far, the stars appear to have aligned for this latest attempt at adapting Gaiman's massive series, if Haynes' addition to the crew is any evidence. Haynes has solid experience in creating high-concept science fiction grounded in human concerns, making him a logical choice for helping bring to life the abstract yet strangely human stories that The Sandman is known for. Time will tell whether Netflix's take on The Sandman will be what fans have long been waiting for, but as of now, there is reason to hope.
Source: The Illuminerdi