The Lord of Hell became a fan-favourite over a five-year period in which he was portrayed by actor Tom Ellis in romantic crime-drama Lucifer<\/a>, which came to an end last year.<\/p>\n Viewers would be forgiven for not realising that Lucifer had anything to do with The Sandman universe, given how it considerably diverged from the source material, but technically it is classed as a spin-off from Neil Gaiman\u2019s fantasy epic.<\/p>\n Now though, a new star is taking over the role for a version that\u00a0will adhere much more closely to the source material, with Gaiman himself telling RadioTimes.com<\/a> why Tom Ellis had to be recast. Read on for details.<\/p>\n Gwendoline Christie plays Lucifer Morningstar in The Sandman, who has some major genre credentials from her former roles as Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones<\/a> and Captain Phasma in the Star Wars saga<\/a>.<\/p>\n When her casting was announced, some complained that they didn\u2019t understand why the character\u2019s gender had been changed, but she explained Gaiman\u2019s thought process in an interview with Empire Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNeil clarified that Lucifer is a fallen angel, and that an angel doesn\u2019t have gender at all,\u201d said Christie. \u201cAnd I can play androgynous. We know that from Game Of Thrones, due to the way I look. So I hope that has helped in the portrayal of the character.\u201d<\/p>\n Gaiman has been praised for defending his cast from attacks on social media, emphasising that any nasty comments are coming from only a vocal minority.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a backlash,\u201d he began in a tweet. \u201cWhen someone grumbles about Sandman being woke and they get 10 likes, and I point out they\u2019re being idiots and get 60,000 likes there isn\u2019t a backlash going on. There\u2019s a few people grumbling performatively on Twitter and thousands of people waiting for Friday [5th August, The Sandman\u2019s release date].\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a backlash. When someone grumbles about Sandman being woke and they get 10 likes, and I point out they\u2019re being idiots & get 60,000 likes there isn\u2019t a backlash going on. There\u2019s a few people grumbling performatively on Twitter, & thousands of people waiting for Friday. https:\/\/t.co\/Y8VEBZEppR<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) July 31, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>Who plays Lucifer Morningstar in The Sandman?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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