Michael Jackson Asked to Star in The Sandman Back in the '90s

Michael Jackson wanted to moonwalk in Morpheus's shoes, says Neil Gaiman.

In an episode of Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, The Sandman author told the host that the King of Pop expressed interest in starring in a TV adaptation of the comic book series back in 1996. "By 1996, I was being taken to Warners, where the then-president of Warner Bros sat me down and told me that Michael Jackson had phoned him the day before and asked him if he could star as Morpheus in The Sandman," Gaiman remembers.

"So, there was a lot of interest in this, and they knew that it was one of the Crown Jewels, and what did I think? And I was like, 'ooooh'", says Gaiman. This casting never materialized, but based on the success of this adaptation, it might have been for the better. 

Netflix's The Sandman, which stars Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, Gwendoline Christie, Boyd Holbrook, Jenna Coleman, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Alexander Park, has topped the streamer's charts for weeks now. A second season has not been announced.

The Sandman is streaming on Netflix.

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Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.