Michael Jackson wanted to play The Sandman’s lead role, reveals creator Neil Gaiman
The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman has revealed the show could have looked very different if it had been made in the ’90s – because Michael Jackson put himself forward for the main role.
Tom Sturridge has captured viewers’ hearts in the lead role of Morpheus (aka Dream) in the 2022 Netflix adaptation of the comic books, so right now it’s difficult to imagine anyone else in the part.
In an interview on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gaiman explained talks to adapt his iconic graphic novel first took place in 1996 – and Jackson was vying for a role.
“By 1996, I was being taken to Warners, where the then-president of Warner Bros sat me down and told me that Michael Jackson had phoned him the day before and asked him if he could star as Morpheus in The Sandman.
“So, there was a lot of interest in this, and they knew that it was one of the Crown Jewels and what did I think? And I was like, ‘Ooh’.”
Michael Jackson wanted to play Morpheus in THE SANDMAN. Yup, you read that right.