Like her younger brother Dream, DC Comics' Death of the Endless has had a very stop-start journey to screens. However, with Dream finally making his way to the world of live-action thanks to Netflix's upcoming television adaptation of The Sandman, it seems like the perfect time for the streaming giant to also consider giving Death the on-screen solo outing she deserves in the form of her own spinoff series.
Prior to Netflix's Sandman series being announced, there were numerous attempts to adapt Neil Gaiman's seminal Vertigo title for both film and television, all of which ultimately fell through (save for Lucifer, the eponymous character of which began life as a Sandman character). Interestingly enough, Death was once slated to have her very own feature film as well. Titled Death and Me, the film would have adapted Gaiman and Chris Bachalo's award-winning 1993 limited series Death: The High Cost of Living.
Death and Me was to be written and directed by Gaiman himself, with Guillermo del Toro attached as an executive producer and Shia LaBeouf potentially even attached to star. Unfortunately, the film never managed to escape development hell at New Line Cinema, and the project has been shelved indefinitely as of 2010. Seeing as how it's been a whole decade since them, it seems highly unlikely Death and Me will ever see the light of day in its original form. But Death, like life, finds a way -- and with the character more than likely set to appear in Netflix's Sandman, the elder Endless sibling finally getting a live-action solo project after the fact seems like a no-brainer.
According to Gaiman, the first season of Netflix's Sandman will adapt Dream's debut comic book storyline Preludes & Nocturnes -- which introduced the character of Death in its final chapter. That's about the best set-up for a spinoff you could possibly ask for. And once again, a spinoff is something Death absolutely deserves, as well as something that can honestly be considered necessary if the character is to be done justice on-screen.
While Death is certainly a great supporting player in the main Sandman comics, it's her solo stories that took her to new heights. If you want an example of this, look no further than the aforementioned High Cost of Living -- a book that secured Eisner awards for both Gaiman and Vertigo Comics editor Karen Berger. With Death and Me not moving forward anytime soon, a spinoff TV series could finally bring an adaption of this touching tale of Death -- taking on the form of a mortal -- giving a suicidal young man a new lease on life to screens. Another fantastic comic that bears mentioning as potential inspiration for a TV storyline is the similarly acclaimed 1996 miniseries Death: The Time of Your Life.
Death really got the opportunity to spread her wings when she first got her own comic spinoffs, largely due to the fact that they carried over much of the mystique of the main Sandman books, but also told new stories seen through the eyes of a much different protagonist. And therein lies the big reason why a Death spinoff would be a better way to handle the character than simply making her the focus of a few Sandman episodes, for instance. Simply put, while their stories tend to be tonally similar, Death's overall vibe is very different from Dream's.
Both members of the Endless family take their respective metaphysical responsibilities very seriously. However, Dream -- while very passionate -- also tends to put on a cold, stone-faced exterior. Conversely, Death is youthful, kind and, ironically, very lively (though she isn't afraid to get a bit more stern when she decides her younger brother is feeling just a bit too sorry for himself). Being in her company is oddly comforting, considering what her presence entails. The siblings have great chemistry and play off each other incredibly well, but at the end of the day, truly thrive when in their own respective elements -- Death especially.
Moreover, in addition to having great solo comics to adapt, Death has a rich backstory that would be perfect for television. Much like her younger brother, Death's history dates back to time immemorial (she is as old as life itself, after all). If Dream's history is to be explored in Netflix's Sandman, it only seems right that Death -- a character with just as much depth -- gets a similar treatment at some point as well. After all, not only do her solo comics -- as well as the various other titles that make up the Sandman Universe -- provide more than enough lore to pull from, but (also like Dream) her inherent ubiquity comes with a world of potential for all-new stories.
Even though it isn't even out yet, if there's one thing Netflix's Sandman has proved, it's the adage of "never say never." Despite years of planned adaptations falling through and many giving up hope on seeing Dream of the Endless in live-action, it's finally going to happen. With that in mind, it's not a stretch to say Netflix -- should it choose to do so -- could give the same gratification to the fans who never got to see Death and Me.