“Sandman” on Netflix: Neil Gaiman himself prevented a planned “Sandman” film

• “Sandman” author Neil Gaiman often praises and promotes the Netflix series of the same name.
• But things could have turned out differently, because a previously planned “Sandman” film adaptation did not suit Gaiman at all.
• So Gaiman took his luck into his own hands – and prevented the film.

Successful comic series do not remain unfilmed for long. That’s truer now than ever, but promising templates were still very popular in Hollywood in the ’90s. So it’s no surprise that Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” comics have found their way onto the big screen several times.

But the projects always failed, sometimes the ambitions exceeded the budget and sometimes you just couldn’t come to an agreement. The latter happened when film producer Jon Peters wanted to turn “Sandman” into an action film. Gaiman, who never read the full script, wasn’t thrilled, he reveals to Rolling Stone in an interview.

I remember they called me. And usually I’m polite and nice when you call me. I try to say something positive to people who call me. And a guy from Jon Peters’ office called me and he said, “So Neil, have you had a chance to read the script that we sent you?”

And I said, “Well, yes. Yes, I have. I haven’t read it all, but I’ve read enough.” He said, “Well, pretty good, huh?” And I said, “Well, no. It really isn’t.” He said, “Oh, come on. There must be stuff in there that you like.” I said, “There wasn’t anything in it that I liked. There wasn’t anything I liked. It was the worst script I’ve ever read by anyone. It’s not just the worst ‘Sandman’ script. That was the worst script I’ve ever been sent.”

So in the film, Dream, Lucifer, and the Corinthian were supposed to be identical triplets, all trying to get their hands on the Ruby, the Helm, and the Sand before the new millennium begins. So the story from the comics was completely ignored, plus there should be giant mechanical spiders because they fascinated film producer Peters.

Since Peters didn’t need Gaiman’s approval, the film might have gone into production the same way – if Gaiman hadn’t taken matters into his own hands. He secretly sent the script to the website Aintitcoolnews.com, which was a staple of film coverage at the time.

The result: An article appeared that completely tore up the “Sandman” script, putting the film project on hold. Jon Peters then dedicated himself to “Wild Wild West” – a science fiction western with giant mechanical spiders.

Ultimately, the series format is probably best suited for “Sandman”, but Gaiman is completely satisfied with the Netflix production. The success of the series also speaks for itself, so a second season is considered likely.