Though the first glimpses of Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman were already plenty promising, it was difficult to get a sense of how much the show would lean into the graphic novel’s focus on the macabre. Along with teasing out some of the more eye-popping moments that’ll shape The Sandman’s first season, a new trailer from San Diego Comic-Con also makes clear just how dark the series is going to get.
The Sandman’s latest trailer once again finds Morpheus / Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) newly-freed from his imprisonment by mortals, and in need of retrieving restoring himself to his former power. Some of The Sandman will seemingly follow as Dream tracks down a number of sacred magical items and returns to the Dreaming — a realm of dreams where reigns supreme. But the new trailer also highlights how Dream and Dreaming Librarian Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) will also have to hunt down escaped nightmares like the Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook), and contend with noted demons like Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie.)
It’s still hard to tell just how much Dream’s siblings Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) and Desire (Mason Alexander Park) will factor into The Sandman’s core story. Their presence along with Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) immediately gives the trailer a sense of scale, though — one that’s hopefully going to be consistent throughout the show when The Sandman hits Netflix on August 5th.