Will Sandman finally be adapted… For TV?

And can you have Sandman without a McKean?Various movie adaptions of Neil Gaiman’s highly-acclaimed and much-beloved Sandman comic series have ended up stuck in development hell over the years – much to the relief of the fans.

Now, however, a new challenger emerges: TV. The Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday that Warner Bros. is looking to get the rights for the series from DC Entertainment, and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke is their first choice to helm it. Neil Gaiman is not (yet?) involved.

As a fan of Sandman, I’ve never really wanted it on screen: The story works wonderfully as a comic, and I can’t see how doing it otherwise would any favors. (With all apologies to Dark Horse and their Star Wars folks, it was Sandman that finally showed me of the heights the format was capable of.)

I can’t pretend to be an expert on Kripke, but his name does not exactly install faith in the project: I’ve never been able to make it through an entire episode of Supernatural, and little I’ve heard about the series makes me want to keep trying.

If Gaiman gets on board, I would be a little less OH HELL NO about the very idea. But for now? Here’s hoping for another round of development hell.

One way or another, now is a good time to check the series out if you haven’t already. The first volume is a tad shaky, as all newborn comics are, but things start shaping up with the second.

TV news: HBO’s A Game of Thrones gets their queen(s)

Lena Headey in 'The Brothers Grim'HBO’s A Game of Thrones adaption has announced casting for many of the major roles since we last checked in. But the one making the most waves online since Sean Bean is the news that Lena Headey will play Cersai Lannister, the ambitious wife of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) and a main foil of the series. Headey is plenty familiar to genre fans from her turn as the title character in The Sarah Conner Chronicles and as Queen Gorgo in 300. (Or maybe even 2005’s The Brothers Grimm, as seen at right.) Here’s hoping she can pull it off.

Other familiar faces include Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice ’95) as Catelyn Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (New Amsterdam, Virtuality) as Cersei’s brother Jaime Lannister, Iain Glen (Kingdom of Heaven) as Ser Jorah Mormont, and Tamzin Merchant (The Tudors) as Daenerys Targaryen. Check out George R. R. Martin’s blog for more on the younger actors.

  • SyFy. Warehouse 13 is setting records for the recently remonikered network; the show’s sixth episode was the most-watched series telecast in the channel’s history. It beat out… Episode five of the same series! Huh. In less hopeful rumors, they’re reportedly considering a cooking show. ‘Imagine greater’ indeed.
  • MTV. Their Rocky Horror remake is “on hold,” (phew) but they are looking to reinvent Teen Wolf. Okay…
  • Disney/Marvel. Has the New Mouse Order claimed its first victim?
  • Supernatural. Creator Eric Kripke hedges around ending the series. Err, story. Err… Buffy lives?
  • The Vampire Diaries. The CW is promoting their upcoming vampire drama with blood drives around the country.
  • Just for fun. io9 has captured many of 30 Rock’s salutes to the genre.

Video: Supernatural mocks fans, themselves

So it seems that on last week’s Supernatural episode ‘The Monster at the End of This Book,’ the main characters, Dean and that guy played Dean on Gilmore Girls Sam, discover fandom. And slash. Incest slash, of course, since the main focus of both the show and the psuedo-fandom within the show are the two brothers. Naturally, some in the fandom are less than amused

I gotta say, I tend to eat this kind of thing up with a spoon. (See Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, Avatar’s ‘The Ember Island Players,’ and I’m sure some of you know the names of the X-Files episodes I’m thinking of…) But what’s your take? Is it okay for the canon to take a mocking stance on not only itself but the fans?

Inappropriate fannish behavior du jour

A Supernatural fan asks security to remove Jensen Ackles’ girlfriend from the convention. Or at least claims to have done so on her Livejournal. Key quote:

I was actually pissed to see her sitting behind him killing my fan squee, she was a total buzz kill, I mean seriously to sit there while he is with fans was tacky IMO.

And another, from the comments:

hahaha i heard she was a bit of a cock block for fans

Bravo, ladies. Bravo. (via)

TV Round-Up – It’s that most wonderful time of the year

Ah, don’t you just love the smell of a new TV season?

There be some spoilery (yet oh, so intriguing) tidbits on Watch with Kristin‘s weekly spoiler chat about returning shows Heroes Smallville and Supernatural.

Speaking of Heroes, TV Guide is also offering up a bit of a sneak peek into the sexy of Season 3.  (Hey, if we can get more shirtless Mohinder?  I am all for it.)

As for the new shows, JJ Abrams talks to them about Fringe and a little film he’s doing for the Trek franchise.

Firefly and Dr. Horrible‘s Nathan Fillion has had his new series picked up.  Not sci-fi, but we wish him luck, all the same.  (And could we get a little shirtless action there, too?)

Yup.  Smells like a new season!

Video Monday

Me or Jack? Lost: The Final Episode from the Consumer Electronics Show. You’ll LOL. Promise. Also: Lost Rhapsody 2: Electric Boogaloo.

The Supernatural Menace. The kids (or is it the slashers?) love Supernatural. So naturally there’s a crossover. Amusing, even to someone who still thinks of the one-who-is-not-Dean as Dean.

Sneak peek at the Ryan vs. Dorkman sequel, complete with talking heads. Oh, fanboys!

I may have blogged a few of Evan Mather’s Kenner vids before, but here’s few more – Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars, Godzilla Versus Disco Lando, Kung Fu Kenobi’s Big Adventure, Les Pantless Menace.

IT CAME FROM JAPAN!