We’ve been waiting for the Sandman project to come to fruition ever since it was announced back in 2013. Back then, Warner Bros. said that David S. Goyer would produce and Joseph Gordon-Levitt would direct and star in the Neil Gaiman masterpiece. Over the course of the following years, the Sandman project switched writers a couple of times, but it still got pretty much nowhere.
Until now! New Line Cinema (the subsidiary to which the project was moved) seems to believe that it has found the right scribe: Eric Heisserer (who penned The Thing remake, as well as the upcoming Van Helsing reboot). Seeing that the writer doesn't seem to have many projects under his belt, is this really a good idea? We can't say - but we certainly know someone who disapproves of the studio's decision.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt wrote, directed, and starred in Don Jon. (source Collider)
And that someone is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The new Sandman writer was announced yesterday and JGL's decision to leave the project was made public today. Is this a coincidence? We believe not, especially since the actor/director named his reason for leaving. According to him, he had differences of opinion with the studio about what made the comic great. So he decided to leave.
The actor explained his decision in a rather lengthy, detailed Facebook post.
Since we know the crucial role JGL played in making Sandman a viable option for the big screens, a question can be asked: Will Sandman make it to the big screen? Apparently it will, especially since the studio hired the new writer. But the fact that the starring actor/director decided to leave, because he was uncomfortable with the direction the project was taking, sure makes us wonder if it should move forward.
Thus far, Neil Gaiman himself has acted as an executive producer. Back in 2007, he said that he would rather have no Sandman movie than have a bad one. Is he comfortable with the studio's direction, knowing that one of the most famous fans of the comic wasn't?
The Sandman (source DC Comics)
