Neil Gaiman's Sandman Being Adapted as a TV Series

Fans of Neil Gaiman's epic comic book series, The Sandman, have waited many years to see if the property would ever be adapted for film; though the general consensus has been that the story would work better on the small screen. Those wishes may soon be granted, based upon a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter:

"Warner Bros. TV is in the midst of acquiring television rights from sister company DC Entertainment and in talks with several writer-producers about adapting the 1990s comic. At the top of the list is Eric Kripke, creator of the CW’s horror-tinged “Supernatural.”"

The Sandman tells the tale of Dream (also known to various characters throughout the series as Morpheus, Oneiros, The Shaper, The Shaper of Form, Lord of the Dreaming, The Dream King, and many other pseudonyms) who is essentially the anthropomorphic personification of dreams. At the start of the series, Morpheus is captured by an occult ritual and held prisoner for 70 years. Morpheus escapes in the modern day and, after avenging himself upon his captors, sets about rebuilding his kingdom, which has fallen into disrepair in his absence. Neil Gaiman, the series' creator, has summarized the plot of the story very simply: "The Lord of Dreams learns that one must change or die.." Many characters from over DC and Vertigo series make appearances throughout the Sandman story; including John Constantine, the Martian Manhunter and Welsey Dodds.

Film adaptations of The Sandman have been attempted throughout the 1990s, though nothing substantial materialized outside of the planning phases. At one time, HBO was interested in a Sandman mini-series; but a discord over rights halted discussions. No official word has been made regarding the current process of this latest adaptation attempt, it seems very likely The Sandman, if greenlit, will air on Warner Bros' teen-riddled television network, the CW.