The first seven cast members for Netflix's upcoming take on The Sandman were officially announced over the weekend, with Game of Thrones alum Gwendoline Christie taking on the role of Lucifer.
While many fans were delighted with this casting choice, some wondered why Lucifer actor Tom Ellis wasn't brought on to portray Lord of Hell since he does (technically) play the same incarnation of the character on the show.
When a fan put the question to Sandman creator Neil Gaiman on Tumblr, the writer offered a very simple explanation.
"The theology and cosmogony of Lucifer is a long way from Sandman's. It's 'inspired by' Sandman, but you can't easily retrofit the Lucifer version to get back to Sandman, if you see what I mean. It seemed easier and more fun to have the Sandman version of Lucifer be, well, much closer to the Sandman version of Lucifer."
While the Lucifer series is loosely based on the Sandman spinoff of the same name, anyone who's read either comic will know that Ellis' take on the Morningstar is very different to the one on the page.
Gaiman also addressed a recent report that Kingsman star Taron Egerton has joined the cast, making it clear that the source had simply mixed up the Netflix show with the recent Audible adaptation, in which the actor voices John Constantine.
However, Gaiman did confirm that the live-action series will feature JC. It's probably safe to assume that Matt Ryan won't be playing him, though!
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.