{"id":19477,"date":"2022-07-29T15:37:01","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T13:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1688300"},"modified":"2022-07-29T16:16:11","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T14:16:11","slug":"is-the-sandman-set-in-the-dc-extended-universe","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/is-the-sandman-set-in-the-dc-extended-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"Is The Sandman set in the DC Extended Universe?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By David Craig\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 29 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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For better or worse, we\u2019re living in the age of the cinematic universe, which means no comic book adaptation can be released nowadays without questions arising over how it relates to all the others.<\/p>\n

When it started life on the printed page back in 1989, The Sandman<\/a> was firmly rooted in the DC Universe, with early issues featuring cameos ranging from incarcerated Batman villains to card-carrying Justice League members.<\/p>\n

However, as the ongoing comic book continued, it moved further and further away from the publisher\u2019s established continuity to carve out a special corner all of its own.<\/p>\n

As a result, some fans have been left wondering which DC Comics characters will show up in the shiny new Netflix<\/a> series and whether these appearances will tether The Sandman to existing films or television shows.<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com<\/a>, creator and executive producer Neil Gaiman discussed where Netflix\u2019s The Sandman sits within the broader landscape.<\/p>\n

Is The Sandman set in the DC Extended Universe?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Jenna Coleman and Tom Sturridge in The Sandman<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

While The Sandman comic book initially took place in the DC Universe, Gaiman quickly grew frustrated with the limitations that this setting brought with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began it in the DC Universe incredibly intentionally,\u201d he recalled to\u00a0RadioTimes.com<\/strong>. \u201cAnd then, somewhere around issue five, when I tried to put the Joker into Arkham, I had to rewrite it so that it was the Scarecrow because they just lost the Joker because something was happening\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI just thought: \u2018This is too much like hard work actually trying to do all this continuity and keep it all going with other comics, I think I\u2019ll just not. I\u2019ll go off and do my own thing and when I visit DC continuity, I\u2019ll go and visit those bits that everyone\u2019s forgotten about and nobody cares about, like Element Girl or Prez.\u2019<\/p>\n

Gaiman continued: \u201cSo, with The Sandman [the Netflix series], I think we\u2019re using what we need. There were things that I borrowed and took from the DC Universe, there were things that already existed\u2026 characters that I inherited or stole or begged or borrowed from the DC Universe itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, while there are certain elements of the DC Universe that are baked into the Sandman story and thus need to be present in any adaptation, the show will function independently from what is going on across the wider franchise \u2013 as it did in the comics.<\/p>\n

As for whether it could be in the DC Extended Universe \u2013 home to the likes of Gal Gadot\u2019s Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa\u2019s Aquaman \u2013 Gaiman told a fan via Twitter<\/a> explaining that The Sandman \u201cis happening in all possible universes, including ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is happening in all possible universes, including ours. https:\/\/t.co\/qecS0b6jRU<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) July 26, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>