As part of Netflix’s Geeked Week, Netflix released a short behind-the-scenes sneak peek of The Sandman. It’s not a trailer, but it’s the next best thing. And I am beyond excited for what they showed. In short, everything about this looks like it jumped straight out of the comics.
Concept Art
Perhaps the most immediately interesting thing about this sneak peek are the glimpses of concept artwork we get. There are glimpses of Hell, Roderick Burgess’s ritual room, the diner from “24 hours,” and glimpses at some of the creatures – including Matthew the raven and Abel’s gargoyle, Goldie. And all of it looks fantastic. It’s clear that the production team are taking direct inspiration from the comics and I’m curious to see how some of these designs get realized. My favorite piece of art, though, is one showing Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) and Lucifer (Gwendolyn Christie) conversing in Hell. It’s gorgeous, and I can’t wait to see it fully realized with all of the CGI and color correction. Though, we do get a little glimpse at the set later in the featurette.
The Set
Throughout the sneak peek, there are a few glimpses at the show’s expansive sets. Among those seen are Roderick Burgess’s ritual room, where Morpheus gets trapped at the beginning of the narrative; the Cereal Convention, a location that fans of the comic will immediately recognize the importance of; and Lucifer’s throne room in Hell (also seen in the above concept art), where Morpheus goes on his quest to retrieve his missing tools of office. Speaking of Morpheus’s tools, we even get our first glimpse at them – the helm, the ruby, and the bag of sand. And I gotta say, all of this looks straight out of the comics. It’s breathtaking to see these locations come to life in such a stunning way.
As Neil Gaiman says in the featurette, “It’s like walking around inside your own dream. This is Sandman made for people who love Sandman by people who love Sandman.” And honestly, I have to agree with him. These sets are huge and intimately detailed. They breathe life into these locations that have only existed in the pages of a comic. Tom Sturridge and Gwendoline Christie both talk about how excited they are to be a part of the series, and it shows. Every bit of this first look just oozes love and respect for the source material. As a fan of the comics, I couldn’t be more excited for the series.
What do you think about the sneak peek of The Sandman?
Part-time writer, part-time theatre nerd, full-time dork.
