(SPOT.ph) Modifications in timelines, gender swaps, and role changes—these are just some alterations you’ll probably spot when you delve into Netflix’s The Sandman, their wildly popular adaptation of the original graphic novels by Neil Gaiman.
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Make no mistake about it. Even if they did change some things here and there, the team behind the series adaptation made their version as faithful to the graphic novel as possible, right down to the cast. Now, if you're still new to this whole Sandman thing, you might want to check out the overview first before you proceed. Whether you're an OG fan since the real-life dream master first dropped his novels or just got into the magic via the series, we lay down a side-by-side for you.
The Sandman Cast vs. the OG DC comics
Dream, a.k.a. Morpheus, Sandman (Tom Sturridge)
Being Julia's Tom Sturridge stars as our main protagonist. Dream, the live-action version, doesn't look much different from the OG, down to those dark pools of infinity in his pupils, amazingly enough. Still, there are a few key details surrounding him that got switched up a bit.
The series kicked off in the modern era, a decade or three shy from the original’s 1989 setting. This means Dream has been imprisoned for more than a century, in contrast with the source material’s 75-year jail time. The change in era made leeway for the writers to include nifty tools that wouldn’t have been present if it were the 1980s.
Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste)
As faithful as the series gets, Gaiman was actually blown away when Kirby auditioned for the role. Among all the stars who tried, he noted that the Downward Dog star exudes honesty—a trait very much attributed to Dream’s sister.
Lucifer Morningstar (Gwendoline Christie)
“Let’s subtly switch things up.”
“How about some action-packed scenes here and there?”
“Sure, that’s the plan anyway.”
“How about creating a Lucy?”
“...”
“I don’t think that’s a minor—”
“Let’s do it!”
Well, that may or may not be what happened during brainstorming, but yes, Lucifer got that transformation. Now, Lucifer has often been quoted by history to be androgynous; in the context of the show, the move may or may not have been a gamble on the production team’s end, but it's clear that placing their bets on the Game of Thrones' Brienne sure paid off.
Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook)
Character building-wise, you can see the series' Corinthian oozing that quietly sinister, insidious, slithery vibe—a far cry from his casual but still edgy sort of look in the source material. It's a far cry from Boyd's role in Gone Girl, but we dig it just the same. He’s also more proactive in the series as he works his best to keep Dream depowered throughout the show.
Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman)
Name tweaks aside—it’s not another gender swap but perhaps a minor play with names, like when your uncle Michael decides to name his daughter Michaela. Johanna supersedes John Constantine, who is better known as the go-to warlock in the DC universe. Watch Doctor Who's Clara Oswald as she embarks on epic adventures as her badass self sets off to hunt and exorcise pesky demons straight to Hell.
Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong)
Lucien in the graphic novel, the production team decided to give him a makeover and transformed him into Lucienne, the librarian and servant in charge of watching over the Dreaming while Lord Morpheus, her master, is away.
While some avid fans of the graphic novel are not happy with the gender swap, The Witches star gets a level-up as she also plays an important role in solving the mystery surrounding the Dream Vortex.
Hippolyta and Hector Hall (Razane Jammal and Lloyd Everitt)
If you think their faces are familiar, you bet they are. Razane formerly starred in Carlos, while Lloyd played a role in Midsomer Murders. For the record, you can say that Lyta and Hector are among the key factors that initially made producers apprehensive of filming a live-action Sandman series. Who could blame them? The source material is a bit difficult to work with, having large chunks of DC lore elements while appealing to classic mythology and world history enthusiasts.
The writers had to modify Lyta’s background from being Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman’s daughter into a child of someone else—this time, of a superhero named Fury. To help these characters fit into the new narrative, Hector was killed off during one of his superhero stints. Hector resists death and remained trapped in Jed Walker’s dream world where the pregnant Lyta eventually joins her husband. It’s also around this time that two nightmares named Glob and Brute took Hector in to be the Sandman while the real deal’s MIA.
Gault (Ann Ogbomo)
The two Major Arcana members (Glob and Brute) were introduced into the Netflix series as a new entity named Gault. Unlike in the comic book version, Krypton's Jayna-Zod had a more significant role to play in helping Jed Walker get through the crisis of enduring foster care abuse.
After the dream battle (towards the end of the series), Morpheus transformed Gault into a dream meant to bring inspiration to those she visits.
Mervyn Pumpkinhead (Mark Hamill)
If you've followed Star Wars and Luke Skywalker, you'll surely recognize this man from afar. Yep, that's Mark Hamill, and he's back as Merv in the Sandman cast—except you'll only hear his voice during the entire series. Mervyn is considered a comic relief during his appearance in the, er, comics. But he takes on a more sinister role as the Netflix adaptation rolls in.
If you haven't checked the series yet, now is the perfect time. Trust us, the hype is valid.