In just a few hours, the audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman hits Audible. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the British author revealed that they had to start recording without the man who lands the voice of the series’ main protagonist, James McAvoy. But once the X-Men star started playing his character, the result was “real magic.”
“We had to start recording before we had a Morpheus,” Gaiman said. “But once we did cast James, he wasn’t available until I think March, so we were going to record everything without him and then put him in. Then that ended up getting delayed, because the day they were meant to go into the studio, the world went into lockdown. So we wound up having to get recording equipment over to his place, and Dirk had to direct him over Zoom. Having said that, all these episodes that I’d heard in rough form with other people playing Morpheus hadn’t worked.”
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The author went on to also discuss the casting of Michael Sheen’s Lucifer, described as “the most surprising moment in the studio.”
“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,” Gaiman said. “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.”
Gaiman will also lend his voice to the adaptation as the narrator. The first part of Sandman will be available starting July 15.
What are your thoughts on the casting in Audible’s Sandman? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes 30th Anniversary Edition
