‘Sandman’ EW Exclusive Photos Show Iconic Death Scene
Just days before SDCC, ‘Sandman’ exclusive images reveal Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, the most beloved of the Endless.
Today is the day! The Sandman panel at SDCC is sure to be full of teasers and info about the highly anticipated Netflix series. Just a few days before the event, Entertainment Weekly gave us a preview of Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s beloved Endless character Death.
An Iconic Comic Panel Comes to Life
According to EW, Howell-Baptiste’s on-screen introduction is very similar to the comic book issue it’s based on. In Neil Gaiman’s Sandman #8, Dream has collected his items of power and is now unsure of how to proceed. His wise and whimsical sister, Death, meets up with him at a park to talk him through his personal crisis of self.
Courtesy of DC Comics
The episode will share the same title as the single issue’s story, “The Sound of Her Wings”. In the interview with EW, Neil Gaiman shared exactly what it was that landed Kirby the role.
“We saw a lot of Deaths, well into the many hundreds. But Kirby had a quality that was unique of being able to speak honestly to power. That honesty, and the fact that she could deliver those lines and you believe them, were what sold me on Kirby 100 percent. We had supermodels, we had all sorts of amazing people a lot more famous than Kirby auditioning. But I didn’t believe they were Death, I didn’t believe they were Tom’s big sister that could boss him around. Then Kirby came on and it was just like, ‘I love you, I believe you, and you’re it.'”
Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly and Netflix
Kirby Howell-Baptiste Talks About Death
Kirby may have been a bit of a surprise casting, but anyone who’s a fan of The Good Place knows she’s more than capable of embodying one of DC’s most compelling characters. During the interview with EW, she illustrates that she clearly knows what this character is all about.
“Most of the time when we see a representation of Death, it’s so focused on the end. But this character says, ‘I was there in the beginning, and I’ll be there in the end.’ Death is born of life. I think there’s something very beautiful and cyclical about her position in the world, because it’s so much about the full journey that she is there for. That lends itself to a more feminine energy — there is this much more nurturing, caring side to Death than we’ve ever seen before.”
Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly and Netflix
Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly and Netflix
Netflix’s Sandman Cast & Crew
Neil Gaiman and David Goyer (The Dark Knight, Krypton) are set as executive producers. Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) as showrunner and head writer.
The giant ensemble cast includes Tom Sturridge as Dream, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Donna Preston as Despair, and Mason Alexander Park (who is non-binary just like their character) as Desire. Other supporting characters have also been cast, like Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, Boyd Holbrook as the Corinthian, Jenna Coleman as Joanna Constantine, and Mark Hammill as Merv Pumpkinhead.
‘Sandman’ premieres on Netflix on August 5th.
