Eric Heisserer has been tapped by New Line Cinema to pen the script for their adaptation of the DC/Vertigo comic book "Sandman" originally written by Neil Gaiman.
He will be writing off a treatment developed by David Goyer, with the resulting script guiding the movie's director and star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. New Line hopes "Sandman" will be a trilogy.
As a horror writer, Heisserer established his credentials with his work on "Final Destination 5" and the remakes of "The Thing" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street." He also worked on the script for "The Conjuring 2" and wrote and co-produced "Lights Out." Outside of the horror genre, Heisserer also penned the script for the sci-fi drama "The Story of Your Life" which stars Amy Adams and was based off a short story by Ted Chiang.
"The Sandman" series first came out in 1989 and ran for 75 issues until 1996. It follows Morpheus, or Dream, one of the Endless, and tells stories in a magical world filled with both horror and beauty.
The Endless have been around since time began and make up seven brothers and sisters. Aside from Dream, there's Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium (who was once Delight) and Destruction. Their names correspond to the realms and functions they are in charge of.
The series starts with a wizard coven attempting to end death by capturing Death but trapping Dream instead. When he finally escapes, Dream has to deal with changes within himself and those that have occurred in his realm in his absence.
Dream's journey is compiled in 10 collections: "Preludes and Nocturnes," "The Doll's House," "Dream Country," "Season of Mists," "A Game of You," "Fables and Reflections," "Brief Lives," "World's End," "The Kindly Ones" and "The Wake."
With the series critically acclaimed, "Sandman" helped establish DC's Vertigo imprint and paved the way for its mainstream success.
Dave Neustadter and Walter Hamada will be overseeing the adaptation for New Line.
