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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Quits ‘Sandman’ Movie: ‘New Line And I Just Don’t See Eye To Eye’

By Jonathan Franks
Published on: 13:49 PST, Mar 5, 2016

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt recently confirmed that he is no longer involved with the anticipated movie Sandman.

The 35-year-old actor announced his exit from the New Line Cinemas film project on his official Facebook page Saturday.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt started his post by focusing on what happened behind the scenes from the very beginning. Joseph teamed up with David Goyer to develop “a producing deal with Warner Brothers to develop a movie adaptation” of the popular comic book series Sandman, which was written and co-created by Neil Gaiman.

“Neil himself came on as an executive producer, we hired the excellent screenwriter, Jack Thorne, and we started in on the ambitious task of adapting one of the most beloved and boundary-pushing titles in the world of comics. I was pleased with the progress we were making, even though we still had quite a ways to go.”

A major change took place, according to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, when the “ownership” of the material for the Sandman comic book series switched. Warner Brothers reportedly moved the complete catalog of Vertigo Comics (a well-known imprint of DC Comics) to New Line, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. That was apparently when the journey of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Sandman worked its way down a dead-end street.

“A few months ago, I came to realize that the folks at New Line and I just don’t see eye to eye on what makes Sandman special, and what a film adaptation could/should be. So unfortunately, I decided to remove myself from the project. I wish nothing but the best for the team moving forward.”

Gordon-Levitt concluded his message by thanking the people that he worked with to develop the Sandman project, admitting that he “learned a ton from David and Jack.” He also paid respects to Neil Gaiman as he closed his lengthy Facebook post, claiming that the Sandman writer’s “generous insights and masterful work have certainly convinced [him] that the Lord of Dreams and the Prince of Stories are one and the same Endless pattern.”

Quite a few people on social media have expressed their disappointment and overall reactions over Joseph Gordon-Levitt deciding to step away from the Sandman project since the announcement was first made.

According to the A.V. Club, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David S. Goyer have been working on the adaptation of the popular graphic novel series “for years now.” Periodically, Goyer would even issue reminders to inform fans and critics that they were still working hard at putting the pieces together for developing Sandman while also respecting Gaiman’s wishes for the movie to feature no punching.

Even though he is no longer involved with Sandman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt still has a full plate when it comes to possible and confirmed movie roles in the future. Perhaps one of the most anticipated films in his near future is the Oliver Stone-directed Snowden, which features Joseph as the leading man playing the title role of Edward Snowden.

[Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images]

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