New Line Cinema‘s long developing Sandman movie is moving forward today as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the project has just hired screenwriter Eric Heisserer to draft. Joseph Gordon-Levitt remains attached to direct the big screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s sequential art masterpiece.
Sandman, which launched DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint, ran for 75 issues beginning in 1989. Gaiman’s worlds-within-worlds weaved an episodic anthology, focusing on the allegorical character of Dream and his brothers and sisters, known as the Endless (Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, Destruction and Destiny).
Gordon-Levitt made his directorial debut in 2013 with Don Jon. The film, which he both wrote and headlines, also stars Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza and Brie Larson.
Eric Heisserer is best known for his work in the horror genre. His past credits include Final Destination 5, The Thing prequel and the Platinum Dunes remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Coming up, Heisserer is responsible for scripting Brian De Palma’s thriller Lights Out and Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction tale Story of Your Life. The latter has Amy Adams attached to headline. Heisserer also contributed to the screenplay for James Wan’s The Conjuring 2, which hits theaters this June.
The Sandman movie is just one of several Neil Gaiman adaptations on the way. John Cameron Mitchell is adapting the short story How to Talk to Girls at Parties into a feature film starring Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman and Alex Sharp while, on the small screen, Gaiman is working with Bryan Fuller to bring the author’s bestselling novel American Gods to the big screen.
