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Netflix's The Sandman awakens for Hall H panel at SDCC '22

Popverse brings you live coverage from Hall H's The Sandman panel

Sandman cast & crew
Image credit: Netflix

The Popverse team has made it to breezy San Diego, and we can't wait to roam the convention floor and attend (and report on) the weekend's biggest panels.

Speaking of the weekend's biggest panels… join us as we attend the long awaited The Sandman panel and video presentation in Hall H all about the upcoming television adaptation of the classic Sandman comic. There are no announced guests yet, but we can assume that there will be pretty big ones!

The official synopsis from the Comic Con schedule reads: Prepare to enter The Dreaming as the live-action adaptation of Neil’s Gaiman’s beloved DC comic series arrives in Hall H of San Diego Comic-Con. There is another world that awaits us when we close our eyes and sleep–a place called the Dreaming, where The Sandman, Master of Dreams (Tom Sturridge), gives shape to our deepest fears and fantasies. But when Dream is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for a century, his absence sets off a series of events that will change both the dreaming and waking worlds forever. The Sandman is a rich, character-driven blend of myth and dark fantasy woven together over the course of 10 epic chapters following Dream’s many adventures. Be among the first to find out what’s in store for the groundbreaking series, as well as some Comic-Con exclusives and surprises. This will be a special video presentation followed by a Q&A with series stars and producers. From Warner Bros. Television and based on the DC comic, season 1 of The Sandman debuts August 5 on Netflix.

Popverse will be liveblogging the entire panel as it happens, so keep an eye on this page to follow along live or to read a moment-by-moment breakdown of all the best bits at a later date.


To follow along with Popverse's coverage throughout San Diego Comic Con, check out our roundup of SDCC coverage.

Our live coverage of this event has finished.

We are seated in Hall H, and we're being shown a clip from the show!
Host Kari Byron has just taken the podium
When asked how he feels about bringing this years long adaptation to life, Gaiman responds "Um. Really good. Really, really, really good." "I did it as a fan," Allan Heinberg responds about adapting the Sandman comics to television.
When asked how he feels about bringing this years long adaptation to life, Gaiman responds "Um. Really good. Really, really, really good." "I did it as a fan," Allan Heinberg responds about adapting the Sandman comics to television.
When asked how he feels about bringing this years long adaptation to life, Gaiman responds "Um. Really good. Really, really, really good." "I did it as a fan," Allan Heinberg responds about adapting the Sandman comics to television.
When asked how he feels about bringing this years long adaptation to life, Gaiman responds "Um. Really good. Really, really, really good." "I did it as a fan," Allan Heinberg responds about adapting the Sandman comics to television.
When asked about casting, we've learned that Tom Sturridge was actually the first actor considered for his role, but that it took thousands of auditions before he was finally hired. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Patton Oswalt was the very first decision made about casting, even before he was contacted about the role.
The full panel has taken the stage, including Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, Tom Sturridge, Patton Oswalt, Gwendoline Christie, Jenna Coleman, Mason Alexander Park, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Vanesu Samunyai, Vivienne Acheampong, and Boyd Holbrook.
The full panel has taken the stage, including Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, Tom Sturridge, Patton Oswalt, Gwendoline Christie, Jenna Coleman, Mason Alexander Park, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Vanesu Samunyai, Vivienne Acheampong, and Boyd Holbrook.
About the casting of Gwendolyn Christie, Gaiman says, "It's a little bit of an update, but if you go back to the first ever appearance of Lucifer in the comic, I remember finding some old photographs of David Bowie as a young folk singer," and saying "This is the look we're going for. It's androgynous. It's a junkie angel." Christie agrees, "I'm a one stop shop for junkie angel."
About the casting of Gwendolyn Christie, Gaiman says, "It's a little bit of an update, but if you go back to the first ever appearance of Lucifer in the comic, I remember finding some old photographs of David Bowie as a young folk singer," and saying "This is the look we're going for. It's androgynous. It's a junkie angel." Christie agrees, "I'm a one stop shop for junkie angel."
Christie compares the Sandman comics to Star Wars, as it "takes you to somewhere else... it is absolutely our reality as humans through the prism of fantasy." We're now going to watch a clip from Episode 3 (no real spoilers here), but it does take place at a wedding...
Christie compares the Sandman comics to Star Wars, as it "takes you to somewhere else... it is absolutely our reality as humans through the prism of fantasy." We're now going to watch a clip from Episode 3 (no real spoilers here), but it does take place at a wedding...
Vannesu on her character, "Rose Walker is an orphan, and she is trying to find her brother. Along the way, she has a journey with Morpheus. She tries to find her brother and Morpheus is there to help her... kind of."
"It's actually a little weird because Sandman was one of those things I was a fan of from the beginning, from issue one... but I'm playing a character that is completely new to this world." Oswalt shares how it's funny that he knows so much about what's going on, while his character is completely the opposite.
"Filming this during the pandemic, we had a lot of time to ourselves," Howell-Baptiste shares about preparing for her role and how to humanize Death. She studied different cultures' beliefs about death, and really leaned towards this idea that there could be "dignity in death." "When I read the comic, Death was one of the comics who was my absolute favorite, and that was years ago."
"We are the people that we're playing in a unique and enjoyable way," Mason Alexander Park shares about their time with this role. About whether or not Park felt the sibling relationships with the three siblings, they respond with a laugh-- "It's the ultimate sibling rivalry."
Now it's time for audience questions...
The first question is about Funko Pops for specific, but no one on the panel knows! The next question is directed towards Mason Alexander Park about moving from theater to television, who says that they felt lucky they were able to shoot such a short amount of time on the show, which allowed them to focus on the words instead of on the big pressures of the video "lasting forever."
When the moderator mentions that there might be some more Sandman cosplay next year, Patton Oswalt chimes in, "Maybe some sexy Ravens"
An audience member asks how Gaiman adapts a story into different mediums while staying true to himself. Gaiman shares that he feels lucky that the companies who have wanted to adapt the story actually want the story and want to stay faithful to it. But it's also important to embrace the differences of each medium, shifting from 20-something pages per issue to a television episode.
Gaiman compares each audience member as "yogurt starter" who love the comics, will watch the show, love the show, and convert the world into a lot of yogurt.
An audience member asks whether we will be able to see a change in style from story to story similar to how the comic looks in the show
Heinberg says that "We didn't do anything that wasn't tied to the emotional effect in the audience," and wanting to stay loyal to the wonderful art in the comics.
BREAKING: Though Dave McKean has formally retired from doing Sandman art, every episode has end title credits (a different credit for each episode) created by Dave McKean
This is true for all ten episodes.
"I really love that Neil and Allan were so open to my interpretation" Christie says about her role and the complexity of how Lucifer has been portrayed in different stories. She says she heavily considers that Lucifer was an angel, God's favorite angel, and cast out., and what that means. She says, to applause, that its important to remember that "A lack of empathy is evil. Disconnection is evil."
An audience member shares, "I became a screenwriter because of you, Neil. You and my dad."
When asked about what it's like to go back and adapt a story from so far back in his past, Gaiman shares that he has to sometimes just trust that the younger version of him knew what he was doing.
The last question is for Patton Oswalt, and it is "Have you ever eaten ratatouille?" Oswalt answers in the positive.
The panel will be wrapped up with a showing of the trailer of Sandman, which will be premiered for the world right after.
That's a wrap for our Sandman liveblog! Thank you so much for following along.