While David Bowie was the inspiration for the suave fallen angel and ruler of hell Lucifer Morningstar in the DC comics The man of the sand, the king of pop Michael Jackson was trying to become the king of dreams. Neil Gaiman has been talking for years about the difficulty of creating an adaptation of The man of the sand for the screen in a way that would have lived up to the comic, and in the process he considered some crazy ideas, including Michael Jackson in the lead role in Dream.
on the podcast Happy, sad, confused (opens in a new tab) Gaiman told host Josh Horowitz all about the countless attempts to obtain The man of the sand Finished. One of the most shocking stories is that, apparently, in the mid-1990s, Michael Jackson applied for the role of Morpheus. As he said:
In 1996 they took me to Warner, where the president of Warner Bros. then sat me down and told me that Michael Jackson had called him the day before and asked if he could play Morpheus in The Sandman. So there was a lot of interest in it, and they knew it was one of the crown jewels, and what did I think? And I was like, ‘Ooh.’
The king of pop as the king of dreams? Here’s an idea. The famous author said on the podcast that he thought choosing this character would be easy. They just needed “an English-speaking actor with big cheekbones”. Michael Jackson met both criteria: he spoke English and had star-shaped cheekbones. Personally, I think he would also have looked iconic in the all-black dress in which Dream travels through the realms.
While it’s an interesting concept, it’s hard to imagine MJ as a Dream. I probably could have done it, but it looks like this show should have been out now in 2022, with Tom Sturridge in the lead role. Especially seeing the positive comments on the show, with some even saying the man of sand is one of the best adaptations of all time I think Gaiman did well to take his time to get this show off the ground.
Speaking of the show, Gaiman said he eventually saw around 1,500 actors audition for the role of The Sandman. Tom Sturridge was one of the first they saw, and while he really liked him, the creatives involved wanted to see who else was there. After weeks of auditioning, Sturridge remained his first choice and was hired.
Along with Sturridge, the show was praised for its diverse cast, though Gaiman had to fight the trolls on Twitter . He said that Kirby Howell-Baptiste was the only person who could play Death, citing episode 6 of The man of the sand like this made him cry twice . Jenna Colman spoke happily about her role as Johanna Constantine, formerly John Constantine in the comics. Gaiman also praised the two women for their performances and showed a clip of them Gwendoline Christie’s version of Lucifer saying she’s perfect for the role.
While Michael Jackson may have had a funny dream; however, it’s for the best that the show waited so long to live up to fans’ astronomical expectations. Earth as one show on netflix It gave you the space and budget to create your dream world without sacrificing too much. Apparently, this also paid off, as the series was popular in the streamer’s top 10. and while we wait patiently for the show to be renewed for season 2 , it’s fun to hear all the stories of what could have been, what is now just lost dreams and dreams coming true.
Source: Cinemablend
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
