Producer David S. Goyer opens up about why he pushed for author Neil Gaiman's involvement in Netflix's series adaptation of The Sandman. First launching in 1989, the comic book series ran under the Vertigo label before DC Comics retired the brand and changed it into DC Black Label. The story focused on Dream, also known as Morpheus and other names, as he is captured during an occult ritual in World War I and escapes into the modern day, seeking to restore his kingdom of the Dreaming with the help of the other seven Endless: Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Destruction and Delirium, formerly known as Delight.

Attempts at getting an adaptation of The Sandman first began in 1996 with a film at Warner Bros., but languished in development hell through multiple writers and directors. A film nearly moved forward in 2013 with Goyer and Gaiman producing alongside star and potential director Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Eric Heisserer set to rewrite Jack Thorne's script, but fell apart after Gordon-Levitt's departure over creative differences and Heisserer's over believing it should be an HBO series. Finally transitioning development to television, the adaptation found its home at Netflix in mid 2019 with Wonder Woman co-writer Allan Heinberg set to develop and executive produce with Gaiman and Goyer and the author taking a bigger role in its development than Starz' American Gods but less than Amazon's Good Omens.

Related: The Sandman: Show Cast & Comic Comparison Guide

In anticipation of his Apple series adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation, Goyer caught up with The Hollywood Reporter. As the conversation shifted to the in-production Netflix adaptation of The Sandman and the long journey it's taken to come to life, the executive producer discussed his efforts to get Gaiman involved in the series and why it was necessary to have the author on board. See what Goyer had to say below:

“[One] thing no one else ever attempted to do with Sandman was something that I insisted with Warner Bros.: that Neil become a producer and write the pilot with me. It seems obvious, but Neil was never a producer on any of the other Sandman [efforts]. It was critical because it’s so personal. We wanted to keep it strange and, God bless Netflix, it’s strange and funky and weird. If you like the comics, I think it’s a fairly accurate depiction.”

The Sandman Comic

Since the first adaptation of one of his works with Stardust, Gaiman's bibliography has rarely seen the author take a major stake in overseeing the development, but his involvement in The Sandman certainly marks a positive sign. After the rocky first two seasons of American Gods, Gaiman worked closer with new showrunner Charles Eglee for season 3 and the result was the series' best chapter and showed a promising future for the two seasons the duo were planning prior to its cancellation. While an author doesn't always need to be directly involved in adapting their works for the screen, Gaiman's projects have such a unique voice and world-building that having him sit in on development is certainly a better idea than leaving him out.

Though Goyer's past efforts in the comic book genre are very hit or miss, his insistence on Gaiman's involvement on The Sandman series does point to a promising future for the project. With the author attached to both produce and write the pilot and Gaiman confirming plans to faithfully adapt his comics, it should finally see a proper life on screen. Production for the fantasy drama is currently underway in the United Kingdom.

More: Sandman: Why Neil Gaiman & Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Movie Never Happened

Source: THR