Sandman's Diverse Cast Defended by Author Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman, whose book Sandman is coming to Netflix, has defended the show's casting as some fans accuse it of pushing an "agenda."

Last week, it was announced that nonbinary actor Mason Alexander Park and Black actor Kirby Howell-Baptiste were cast in the series as Desire and Death, which some fans had complained about. Taking to Twitter, Gaiman defended the decision, telling followers that he had "zero fucks" for people who "don't understand/haven't read Sandman."

In addition to Park being nonbinary, the inclusion of Kirby Howell-Baptiste as a Black woman playing Death has also caused backlash, as some fans point to Death being depicted as white in the comics. With one fan telling Gaiman that they hoped the money [for the project] was worth it. Gaiman responded: “If you think the Endless have any specific human race or form, you’ve missed something in Sandman. Don’t worry. Watch the show,”

“I always thought that people loved Death for who she was. The person that I wrote. I’m astonished to find that, for some people, what they thought she was, was a white woman, and just a white woman.”

Sandman, which Netflix commissioned for ten episodes and for which filming began in late 2020, is a fantasy comic written by Gaiman that chronicles the adventures of Morpheus the Dream King, as he journeys to correct various realms and realities which he has interrupted. Big names involved include Jenna Coleman, Niamh Walsh, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Kyo Ra, Stephen Fry, Razane Jammal, Sandra James Young, and Patton Oswalt.

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