Eric Kripke created one of the best comic book adaptations of recent times with The Boys, which proved to be a major hit for Amazon Prime Video. He also created the paranormal drama series Supernatural, serving as the showrunner for five seasons before stepping down. However, Kripke was once attached to develop a television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.
While the Netflix version of the series received praise from critics, the earlier iteration developed by Kripke did not receive Gaiman’s approval. As a result, it isn’t surprising that the adaptation did not move beyond the initial development stage. Kripke opened up about the failed adaptation of The Sandman, and here is what he had to say.
Supernatural Creator Eric Kripke Discussed His Failed Adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman
Eric Kripke created Supernatural, which ran for fifteen seasons and became one of the most beloved fantasy shows. However, Kripke exited the series after season 5 in 2010. He was later attached to an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s comic book The Sandman, which began publication in the 1980s.
Years later, Gaiman took to X (formerly Twitter) and discussed the failed adaptation in 2022. The author admitted that while Kripke’s version was solid, it was ultimately aimed at network television, which did not sit well with the comic’s overall concept.
Kripke responded to Gaiman’s tweet and explained why he did not further pursue the project after it was initially turned down in 2010. Kripke wrote the following, regarding his pitch for an adaptation of The Sandman that did not materialize.
Kripke’s statement confirms that he was allowed to develop his version of the television series based on the comic and admitted to being a fan of the source material.
Despite praise from Gaiman for his version of the adaptation, Kripke felt that his take on the classic comic would not have done justice to the source material. Additionally, Kripke also admitted that Gaiman’s comic inspired several aspects of Supernatural, but did not go into further detail.
Neil Gaiman Revealed Why He Disapproved of Eric Kripke’s The Sandman
Although an attempt to adapt The Sandman for television failed in the early 2010s, Gaiman successfully brought the story of Lord Morpheus to the small screen in 2022 with an adaptation produced for the streaming service Netflix.
While promoting the series, Neil Gaiman reflected on the failed, network television iteration of the series developed by Kripke during an interview with IGN. Gaiman explained why he did not approve of Kripke’s pitch for a series based on his comic, stating:
The damage that you had to do to Sandman to put it on network TV 15 years ago and in the kind of budgets and the way that you could do it just meant it wasn’t Sandman.
From Gaiman’s words, it is safe to say that he and Kripke both agree that an adaptation of the hit comic would not have worked on network television.
However, Gaiman admitted that he respected Kripke as a creator and appreciated his efforts. At the same time, Gaiman confirmed that he was the one who turned down Kripke’s pitch as he felt it simply did not work. Instead, Gaiman himself worked on a streaming adaptation with David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg.
The Sandman is streaming on Netflix.
