News

Audible & DC Announce Audio Production of Neil Gaiman’s Comic Book Series The Sandman

Audible Inc., the world’s largest producer and provider of spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks, today announced that New York Times best-selling comic book series, The Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC, will be produced in audio for the first time, adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs.

Audible’s exclusive audio adaptation will bring The Sandman’s epic, metaphysical fantasy to life in meticulously sound-designed, richly immersive audio. When an occultist attempts to capture the physical embodiment of Death in a bargain for eternal life, he instead mistakenly traps Death’s younger brother Morpheus, the King of Dreams. After his seventy-year imprisonment and eventual escape, Morpheus goes on a quest to reclaim his lost objects of power and rebuild his realm. From there, one of greatest and most successful series of graphic novels ever written begins. Celebrated globally for its vibrant blend of modern myth and dark fantasy – which seamlessly interweaves contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend – The Sandman follows Morpheus, and the people and places he’s affected, as he tries to mend the cosmic and human mistakes he’s made during his Endless existence.

Neil Gaiman is intimately involved with Audible’s new, multi-cast audio drama serving as Creative Director, Executive Producer and Narrator for The Sandman.

Gaiman’s long-time audio collaborator, multi-award winner Dirk Maggs serves alongside as the project’s Executive Producer as well as Scriptwriter and Director. Dirk Maggs is best-known for his adaptations of Neil Gaiman’s NeverwhereStardust, Good Omens, Anansi Boys, and Audible Originals Alien: River Of Pain and X-Files, as well as DC audio productions The Trial of SupermanSuperman: To Doomsday & Beyond and Batman: Knightfall. The project also features an original score by British Academy Award winning composer and musician James Hannigan.

Dave Blum, Editor-in-Chief of Audible Originals, commented:

“This audio iteration of The Sandman is huge in scope and ambition and based exclusively on Neil’s original notes and scripts for his iconic DC series. Our production dives deep into Neil’s imagination, as if he is writing these tales beside us, lifting out details and story elements few have been privy to until now,” shared Dirk Maggs. “Audio uniquely complements the comic book artists’ visual imagination and Neil’s creative brilliance, while our amazing cast and Jim Hannigan’s music add new emotional punch. This project’s three-decade incubation period has been worth every minute of the wait. It’s the very essence of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.”

The Sandman will be available to download exclusively on Audible, Summer 2020 in English and will subsequently be released in French, German, Italian, and Spanish editions.