Inside the Three-Year Secret of Netflix’s ‘Sandman’ Bonus Episode — and How Neil Gaiman Almost Spoiled the Surprise of Its A-List Cast

spoiler ALERT, If you haven’t seen “A Dream of a Thousand Cats”/”Calliope” yet, surprisingly the 11th episode of “The Sandman” Season 1, don’t read it.

Netflix’s “The Sandman” always had 11 episodes in its first season—you didn’t know it until the special final installment, a two-part animated and live-action story called “A Dream of a Thousand Cats.” “Calliope,” dropped Friday.

Or, if you’re a die-hard fan who’s been following every piece of “Sandman” news since the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s beloved graphic novels was first ordered to series in July 2019, then you are. can little Gaslit doesn’t remember there were 11 episodes when the 10-episode season launched two weeks ago.

“Maybe there have been earlier signs. We sold back an 11-episode order, and you’ll see that if you go back and look at some of the press,” “Sandman” showrunner Alan Heinberg, who developed the series with Gaiman and executive producer David Goyer, told Diversity, “So I guess we were kinda like, ‘Have we let the heck out of the bag?’ Before we even knew there were cats in the bag, but we did our best.”

But there were times when Gaiman “let the cat out of the building” while creating the Tom Sturridge-led show.

“Once, I put up a ‘Here Comes a Candle’ book cover on Twitter,” Gaiman said, referring to a fictional book featured in his “Sandman” issue of “Calliope.” “I answered someone about ‘the dream of a thousand cats,’ and I said we’ve already started putting the cats down. But then I kept quiet—until a moment came when Alan took me to the table. Came the closest to being kicked down, he’s ever come in his entire life.”

Gaiman revealed that “during an interview where people were saying, ‘How did you get this amazing cast?’, I just started listing the cast, and so on and I told Derek Jacobi.” (Jacobi plays villain writer Erasmus Fry in the “Calliope” portion of episode 11, but does not appear in the other 10 episodes of “The Sandman” Season 1.) “And Alan saw me,” Gaiman said, “[and I finished] ‘… is not in!'”

To be fair to Gaiman, keeping the secret was a three-year challenge that began even before “The Sandman” picked up on Netflix.

“‘Secret’ 11th episode was conceived by Neil and Allen and myself, before we offered the show to buyers,” Goyer said. Diversity, “Anyone familiar with The Sandman knows that these are all incredible stand-alone issues that are included in the original run and we were determined to adapt them. We gave everyone the idea of ​​doing an 11th episode that would leave the off-cycle and We will use these episodes to adapt to those issues – but also as a love-letter to fans.”

Goyer continued: “It was unorthodox and it was very much in spirit with Neil’s unconventional run. We had several offers among buyers to make ‘Sandman’ — but Netflix was the only one to make a ‘Secret’ episode.” Agreed to. And in truth, that was a major reason to go with Netflix. We thought they got it in a way the others didn’t. We told them to tackle ‘Dream of a Thousand Cats’ first And we want it to be animated. And you can see the fear in most buyers’ eyes. Netflix didn’t flip.”

First, Gaiman says the plan was to wait a year after the first 10 episodes dropped because of the massive, complex elements of what could be a two-year wait between seasons of “The Sandman.” But ahead of the series premiere, the team decided to speed up the timeline and skip the surprise two weeks after the launch as a special feast for fans, who have already turned out in large numbers to make the show a hit. .

“Episode 11 is our gift to the fans. We had always envisioned doing a surprise bonus episode for ‘The Sandman’ and it was important to do it in a way where it felt like chapters honoring the original source material and the extraordinary vision of Neil Gaiman,” said Netflix’s US Peter Friedlander, Head of Scripted Content Diversity, “From the animation and storytelling to the different chapter formats, the two-part surprise episode is packed with creativity and innovation and we are thrilled to see fans embrace it and celebrate the entire series.”

The first half of That Gift is titled “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” and is a fully animated adaptation of the issue of the same name from Gaiman’s DC Comics “Sandman” series.

“The challenge for ‘Cats’ was obviously finding the right animation partner,” Goyer said. “We were all fans of [Hisko Hulsing’s] Work. We wanted a hand-crafted experience. We wanted something special that really showed how great ‘Sandman’ is. Hisko and his team created a work of art.”

Halsing worked with Untold Studios in London for 3D animation of the cats in the story, as well as Submarine Studios in Amsterdam for 2D animation, oil painting and styling.

“I started by thumbnailing each shot and making a rough drawing of each. Almost like making an animated film,” Halsing said. “And we were very true to the story because I had the script written by Katherine Smyth-McMullen, but I also had all the notes I gave to the artist 30 years ago and I took them very seriously. They were very imaginative and good and Were intelligent. But sometimes, from a storytelling standpoint, they were wrong. You have very strict rules like staying on one line of the eye. Animated movies have rules that you can break for whatever reason – but you have to It shouldn’t, usually.”

The voice actors who voiced Halsing’s compositions were voiced by some of Gaiman and Heinberg’s best-known friends, including Sandra Oh, James McAvoy, David Tennant and Michael Sheen. (McAvoy voiced Morpheus, aka Dream, in Audible’s “The Sandman” adaptation, while Sheen voiced Lucifer, portrayed by Gwendoline Christie in the Netflix series, and Tennant voiced Loki.) Sheen and Tennant also star in another Gaiman book-to-TV adaptation, Amazon Prime Video’s “Good Omens.”)

“We got an A-list cast for ‘A Dream of a Thousand Cats,’ which we probably couldn’t get for two or three weeks of shooting because they’re too busy,” Gaiman said. “But we could get them to record for us. So we could get Michael Sheen and David Tennant and Georgia and Anna. We could get James McAvoy. How crazy, that James did one for us.” Wonderful gesture as done? Sandra Oh is the biggest one for me, which I was very impressed by… She wasn’t me at all, she was 100% Alan.

Heinberg continued: “It happened because Sandra came to London to start ‘Killing Eve’ Season 4 and we were having breakfast. And it all came together.”

The live-action portion of the episode, titled “Calliope”, features Sturridge as Dream and guest appearance Melisanthy Mahut as Calliope, Arthur Darville as Richard Maddock and Jacobi as Erasmus Fry. .

“‘Calliope’ was tough because it’s such a brutal story – in many ways it’s the second book in ’24 Hours.’ .

To eliminate that depiction of both a dream and a nightmare, the episode’s director Louise Hooper wanted to deviate from Gaiman’s original comic in two important ways: casting a Greek actress to play the Greek goddess, who was portrayed in the graphic novel. She is depicted as a blond woman, and ends with the scene where writer Richard Maddock rapes Devi in ​​order to use her musical powers for her career.

“I really wanted an actress who felt like she had that strength and that dignity and that kind of quiet defiance,” Hooper said. “It’s such a modern parable, definitely echoes of #MeToo, and I didn’t want her to be in too little clothing, to feel too exposed. I wanted her to have that vulnerability, sure, but Have that elegance and that strength… and Melisanthy met that vision. That’s what she wanted, too.”

She continued: “To do a modern retelling, I didn’t want to see the rape scene. I don’t think it helps us in any way to actually see it on screen. You know what’s up , that she is being humiliated and abused, and her voice is being suppressed, but what I wanted from Melisanthi, and what she also wanted, is that there be someone who would be her strength So how I shot it, in terms of eye lines, her position in the camera is on par with Richard’s. So yes, he’s in a frightening position, but he’s a fighter and he strengthens his moral compass gonna keep.”

The whole “Calliope” story brought to light the fact that Dream and Calliope were not only ex-lovers, but were formerly married and had a son, Orpheus, who was a mysterious – for the moment – tragedy struck before her. By the end of the bonus “Sandman” episode with Dream helping Calliope free from his prison, the big question is what we’ll learn about his past and his son in a possible second season.

Heinberg isn’t spilling anything (though Gaiman’s comics tell the story, if you’re interested in spoilers) but he says he and Gaiman have an actor for the pivotal role of Dream and Calliope’s son Orpheus.

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that, but we talked about someone we feel very strongly about,” Heinberg said. “And we’ve had those conversations and if we get a second season, we’d love to be able to cast that person. We’ve been envisioning the whole season with this person in mind.”

Hopper, who also directed ‘The Sandman’ Episode 10, the official Season 1 finale, noted the relationship between Dream and Calliope, “there’s such a huge plot point that was mentioned,” that “he would make sure Wanted you to feel like you did. Quiet and space to let go of all this information and understand it without feeling too emotional.”

“And finally, when she has now turned into a Greek goddess, she should be,” Hooper said, “You see the sweetness of the two of them together, and she just holds her head against her… that this information may increase. ,