Hey guys! Horrorella here...
Bad news on the SANDMAN front. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who had been slated to direct the film and star as the titular character, has exited the project.
Gordon-Levitt made the announcement via Facebook yesterday, citing creative differences when the project shifted from Warner Bros. to New Line. Apparently Warners has shifted control of the entire Vertigo catalogue over to New Line, and since the change occurred a few months back, the studio and Gordon-Levitt just had different ideas of what a SANDMAN movie could and should be.
RE: 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.
This news comes after an announcement earlier this week that a new writer had been brought aboard. According to THR, horror writer Eric Heisserer (the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and THE THING remakes, as well as the upcoming THE CONJURING 2) has been hired to write a script based on David S. Goyer's treatment.
So the addition of a new writer tells us that the project is still alive (at this point, anyway), and that as the script comes into focus, New Line will be on the hunt for a new director to take the reins.
Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN chronicles the affairs of Morpheus, Lord of Dreams and his family The Endless. Those familiar with the series know that it will not be an easy one to translate to film. Hopefully, New Line will be able to find a vision that captures the essance of the story and does justice to Gaiman's source material.
