Where is The Sandman filmed? The familiar UK locations in the Netflix series

The Sandman is Netflix newest fantasy series with many a dystopian backdrop - prompting many to ask where was The Sandman filmed?

The beginning of August brought with it The Sandman release date (opens in new tab) - a move that delighted many a fan who have known and loved the comic books The Sandman is based on (opens in new tab) for decades plus. Executively produced by Neil Gaiman and boasting an all-star The Sandman cast (opens in new tab) - sci-fi fans have been hooked since the titles started to roll. And those that have ferociously binged all episodes were certainly not disappointed with The Sandman ending (opens in new tab).

But where was The Sandman filmed? Here are all the details you need to know about the filming locations - plus when it was filmed.

Where is The Sandman filmed?

The Sandman was filmed in the Southeast of England, mainly in Surrey, London and in Warner Bros Studios Leavesden. Neil Gaiman, author of the comic series in which the show is based on, revealed that they had planned to shoot some scenes in New York, but weren't able to due to COVID-19.

They swapped the New York scenes for Canary Wharf in London. Scenes were also shot at Richmond Green in London in June 2021. 

A lot of the series was shot in Surrey. Neil Gaiman showed fans around Shepperton studios in Surrey in his Behind The Scenes Sneak Peek video on YouTube, where he said: "I’m here at Shepperton Studios and I’m getting to see that happens, when you bring dreams to life."

Crews were also spotted filming at Guildford Cathedral, with social media users spotting filming equipment and signs in February 2021.

And in April 2021, crews were spotted in Surrey again when filming took place at Hankley Common, near Elstead. The same green signs that were at Guildford Cathedral, reading "SBL" - understood to be a false name given to the production - were spotted, along with fake bones and a tall dark cross. This was later confirmed to be a filming site for The Sandman.

When was The Sandman filmed?

Filming of The Sandman began in October 2020 and wrapped up in August 2021.  It was due to begin filming in May 2020, but was pushed back because of the pandemic. 

Looking on the bright side, author and executive producer Neil Gaiman said that the crew were "taking the opportunity to get the scripts as good as we can." 

Boyd Holbrook, who plays The Corinthian in the series, said: "We’re shooting it out in London. I play The Corinthian, which is one of the coolest things that’s happened in a while to me… It’s like one of the best comic books that hasn’t been made [into a film or TV show].”

And lead star, Tom Strurridge has commented on what it was like filming naked (yes, naked!) He said: "It was definitely a baptism-by-fire to be introduced to the people I was going to spend nine months with naked, climbing into a glass box — which, because of the way it's built, couldn't be broken apart easily. I would genuinely sit in it for hours at a time, which was very COVID safe."

Where is The Sandman set?

The Sandman character is part of the DC universe and is set in the same dimension of the DC universe. The story centres around Dream, who is captured by an occult group in 1916 and imprisoned for decades, before escaping and rebuilding his kingdom of the Dreaming.

Once that story is resolved, The Sandman leaps around in space and time, following Dream as he travels around fulfilling the his job: overseeing and influencing the dreaming, storytelling, and inspiration for every living being in the universe.

Speaking about his dream to create a comic-series, author Neil Gaiman told The Guardian: "As a kid I really wanted to write comics. Comics were fabulous. They were a place you could do things that nobody had ever done before. 

"But I also wanted to make movies. I wanted to make television. I wanted to write novels. What I wanted to do was tell stories.”

How many episodes of The Sandman?

Season one of The Sandman will consist of ten episodes with each one lasting around an hour long in length.

Each episode has a name, with the first four episode titles matching with the corresponding chapters in the first volume of The Sandman comic, called Preludes & Nocturnes. However, after this, the names skips around a bit.

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