DC’s Sandman comic book series was the result of George R.R. Martin’s rejection

The TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is one of DC’s most highly anticipated projects. The Netflix series garnered quite some attention, as it includes an ensemble of highly talented casts, including Game of Thrones alums. Gwendoline Christie, who played Brienne of Tarth in the fantasy series, will play a gender-swapped version of Lucifer in The Sandman. Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) plays Roderick Burgess who is a charlatan, blackmailer, and magician. The comic book series has a really interesting backstory, one that involves Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin.

Back in 1987, Neil Gaiman, who was then a budding talent with very little writing credit to his name, approached Martin with a pitch for his Wild Cards anthology series. In a 2012 interview with MTV Geek, Martin revealed that Gaiman pitched a series focused on “a guy who lives in dream,” and we can easily guess what Gaiman was really working on. Martin rejected the idea based on Gaiman’s little experience in the writing field back then, a decision he surely thinks about a lot today.

Gaiman later reworked his pitch for The Sandman and brought it to DC/Vertigo Comics, where it was picked up almost instantly. The Sandman thus became one of DC’s greatest comic book series ever, and is now a beloved pick amongst comic book fans all over the world.

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