Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("Looper," "The Walk,") has left the "Sandman" adaptation that he had been working on with Neil Gaiman, David Goyer, and Jack Thorne.

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This comes as a surprising move by Levitt, after having been attached to the project for years. Levitt took to his Facebook today to explain why he was leaving the project:

This news comes on the heels of New Line signing writer Eric Heisserer ("A Nightmare on Elm Street," "The Thing,") to the project yesterday. With Levitt leaving and new writer signing on, it's possible this adaptation may look vastly different than Levitt and Goyer had originally envisioned. No word yet if "Sandman" creator Neil Gaiman is still involved in the project.