Joseph Gordon-Levitt Parts Ways With Sandman Adaptation
By Steve Lam
It was just yesterday that we reported horror writer Eric Heisserer being tapped to rewrite the film adaptation for Sandman. Today, sadly, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the man who’s been attached to this project since the beginning, took to Facebook and announced his leaving of the project.
"RE: SANDMANSo, 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."
As of this report, New Line has not responded — and most likely will not. And no new lead actor or director have been chosen for the project.
Created by Neil Gaiman, The Sandman is a story about main character Dream, who is also known as Morpheus — one of the seven Endless. The other Endless are Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction. The series gained critical acclaim and was known for its use of anthropomorphic personification of metaphysical entities along with a blending of mythology, history, and horror. Lasting 75 issues from January 1989 to March 1996, the series ended when Gaiman left Vertigo.