One of the most exciting projects in development at Warner Bros. was an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, which had Joseph Gordon-Levitt attached to produce with plans to potentially director and star.
Gordon-Levitt has been working with David S. Goyer and screenwriter Jack Thorne, with the project so far down the road that Gaiman has begun fantasizing Tom Hiddleston for the lead role of Morpheus.
Then, late last night it was announced that Eric Heisserer – who penned A Nightmare On Elm Street, Thing, Light’s Out and Final Destination 5 – was newly attached to write the screenplay.
What everyone missed, though, was that Sandman became a New Line Cinema project, which meant a shift from the larger Warner Bros. (a similar thing happened with Stephen King’s It).
With the new studio comes new producers, new execs and new visions for what Sandman should be.
Gordon-Levitt quickly took to Facebook to remove his name from the project, explaining that creative differences resulted in his exit from Sandman.
“So, as you might know if you like to follow these sorts of things, a while back, David Goyer and I made a producing deal with Warner Brothers to develop a movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN. Neil himself came on as an executive producer, we hired the excellent screenwriter, Jack Thorne, and we started in on the ambitious task of adapting one of the most beloved and boundary-pushing titles in the world of comics. I was pleased with the progress we were making, even though we still had quite a ways to go.
Recently, as you also might know if you like to follow these sorts of things, the sorta “ownership” (for lack of a better term) of the Sandman material changed hands when Warner Brothers shifted the entire catalogue of Vertigo comics (an imprint of DC) to their subsidiary, New Line. And a few months ago, I came to realize that the folks at New Line and I just don’t see eye to eye on what makes Sandman special, and what a film adaptation could/should be. So unfortunately, I decided to remove myself from the project. I wish nothing but the best for the team moving forward.
I’d like to thank all the great people I’ve had the opportunity to work with on this one. I’ve had a blast with and learned a ton from David and Jack. Niija Kuykendall, Greg Silverman, and everyone at Warner Brothers have been fantastic, as have Geoff Johns and everyone at DC. And it’s been a particular privilege as well as a rocking good time getting to know Mr. Gaiman, whose generous insights and masterful work have certainly convinced me that the Lord of Dreams and the Prince of Stories are one and the same Endless pattern.”
The good news is that Sandman is alive and well at New Line, the bad news is that Gordon-Levitt is official out. Watch for more on this as it comes in.
The Sandman series shifts between horror and fantasy, and the central character is Morpheus, the personification of dreams. After being held captive 70 years, Morpheus escapes, gains revenge and rebuilds his crumbling kingdom while trying to adapt to the times.
