The Boys Showrunner Eric Kripke Talks Failed Attempt at The Sandman Adaptation

Before finding success with The Boys, Eric Kripke previously tried to develop a Sandman series for network television.

Netflix

Before the Neil Gaiman story The Sandman was turned into a successful series adaptation at Netflix, there were originally plans for the show to be developed for network television. Eric Kripke, who created the hit sci-fi show Supernatural and now serves as the showrunner for The Boys, had been attached to bring the planned series to life for Warner Bros. Television. Ultimately, Gaiman was not left feeling confident with the game plan that was in place for The Sandman in that form, and that version of the project fizzled.

Following the release of The Sandman on Netflix, some fans have been wondering what the series would have been like under the creative guidance of Kripke. One person asked Gaiman directly about the situation on Twitter and managed to get a response from the actor. According to Gaiman, Kripke did very well, suggesting the problem had more to do with the limitations that would block The Sandman from reaching its full potential if it were to air on network TV. He said:

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“It was a terrific network TV version of Sandman. But when you make a network TV version of Sandman you lose an awful lot of what makes it Sandman. [Eric Kripke] did a great job considering the limitations.”

Related: The Sandman: Breaking Down the Myths and Legends That Inspired the Series

Eric Kripke Says His Version of The Sandman Wouldn’t Have Been Good

Netflix

Eric Kripke then personally responded to Gaiman’s tweet to make it clear that there are no hard feelings. He had wanted to give his best shot at doing The Sandman, even if his only option at that time was to develop the series for network television, as he was such a big fan of the original comic book. For what it’s worth, Kripke believes that everything worked out well in the end, as he has high praise for the Netflix series.

“Kind of you, sir. WB gave me a crack at The Sandman but said it had to be network. It was my fave comic, inspired much of [Supernatural], so I tried. Neil was kind and patient but ultimately, it would’ve been a bad show. I’m glad he held out. Sandman on Netflix is lush, stunning. GO WATCH!”

Just as Kripke says, you can now find The Sandman streaming over on Netflix. As for what Kripke is up to these days, you can check out his latest work by watching the first three seasons of the acclaimed superhero satire series The Boys on Prime Video. After impressing fans and critics with seasons one through three, a fourth is now in the works and is currently filming.

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