Neil Gaiman talks The Sandman and Michael Sheen's clever take on Lucifer
Fantasy author thinks the new Audible adaptation of his comic will bring the story to a new audience.
Neil Gaiman has said that the upcoming The Sandman Audible adaptation will help bring the comics to an audience who were previously unable to read them.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the author said, "For years and years, people who have vision issues have told me how much they wish they could read Sandman.
"Audio drama is incredibly inclusive. I do love that we’re bringing the books to people who otherwise would not be able to read them."
Gaiman went on to say that very little had changed when adapting the action from the page to audio but added "there are things that you gain and things that you lose" in the process.
One of the plus points for the audio version is the hugely impressive voice cast which has been assembled for the project, with the likes of James McAvoy, Michael Sheen, Miriam Margolyes and Kat Dennings all playing major roles.
More like this
And of the stellar cast, it was Sheen who most surprised Gaiman with his performance as Lucifer, the Staged actor taking inspiration from an iconic music star.
The writer said, "Michael was a huge fan of the comics, reading them since he was a kid, so Michael knew that Lucifer had been drawn as the young David Bowie.
"I think of Michael Sheen as one of the greatest actors of his generation, which he is. I forget he is also one of the greatest impressionists.
"All of a sudden, I’m standing here in the studio, and Michael Sheen’s mouth is open, and David Bowie’s voice is coming out. It was so weird and amazing."
In addition to the The Sandman audio series, a Netflix TV production is also on the way, with the series reportedly having been due to start shooting shortly before the coronavirus pandemic.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best TV series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
