Joseph Gordon-Levitt exits Sandman film adaptation

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has exited Sandman, the long-gestating film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's comic book about the melancholy lord of dreams.

The actor and filmmaker announced on Saturday that he and New Line “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 had announced in 2013 that he was producing the film, and speculation swirled that he might also star as Morpheus (a.k.a. Dream) and direct. Last June he told MTV News progress was “slow but steady” on the film, which he described as “a really complicated adaptation.”

Sandman is still in development at New Line, which recently hired veteran horror screenwriter Eric Heisserer (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing) to pen a new draft.