Allan Heinberg tells EW about changes with Jed and Rose Walker, “24/7,” and more.
As the king of all stories, Dream of the Endless knows that they change in the telling.
Allan Heinberg knows that too.
Dream (Tom Sturridge) speaks with Rose Walker (Vanesu Samunyai) in ‘The Sandman’.Liam Daniel/Netflix
After years of writing for TV shows likeGrey’s AnatomyandThe O.C.
But he quickly encountered a problem.
It’s impossible.'
Jed Walker (Eddie Karanja) in Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’.Liam Daniel/Netflix
Heinberg’s fears were ultimately assuaged.
But others had to do with the way the stories were told.
Aside from some voiceover in the first episode from Dream actorTom Sturridge, Netflix’sThe Sandmanhas no narration.
Hector (Lloyd Everitt) and Lyta Hall (Razane Jammal) in Netflix’s ‘The Sandman.'.Liam Daniel/Netflix
We can’t tell the audience what’s going on at any point.
The 10 episodes ofThe Sandmannow streaming on Netflix adapt the first 12 issues of the comic.
“Whereas in the first six episodes, we have six different casts and six different worlds.
Gault (Ann Ogbomo) in Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’.Netflix
They make Jed believe that he’s the sidekick and ward of a superhero called the Sandman (a.k.a.
Hector Hall) and his wife, Lyta.
These were originally references to contemporaneous DC superhero comics, so the show had to adjust that context.
But our show isn’t set in the DC Universe, so this required crafting.
Brute and Glob became Gault, who I love, and Anne’s performance is just heartbreaking.”
Hector is long dead, but Lyta sees him in her dreams, separate from Jed.
His building, his dream cave, was a pleasure to make.
There are toys everywhere, old school comics everywhere."
Viewers can decide for themselves how well the show met the challenge.The Sandmanis streaming now on Netflix.
