The recently released cast list for Netflix's upcoming The Sandman adaptation features a number of surprises, including actors of great renown and several gender-swaps. Standing out amongst the crowd, though, is the choice of Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer. In fact, the casting is so choice it already makes sense to give Christie a spinoff that lets her tell Lucifer's tale.
Christie is best known for her performance of Brienne of Tarth in HBO's popular Game of Thrones, but she also brought Captain Phasma to life in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, making her a staple of two modern fantasy epics. In that sense, adding her to the cast of The Sandman feels appropriate, especially since the project will be looking to stake its claim in a crowded streaming market.
In The Sandman, Christie will bring fan-favorite character Lucifer to life. It's a meaty role that Christie should have no problem tackling, having already demonstrated her acting chops during her time on Game of Thrones. The tricky part comes with the fact that in The Sandman, Lucifer isn't the familiar Christian devil many know him as, though he is still the ruler of hell.
While not the main protagonist of The Sandman series, Lucifer is certainly a significant and beloved character. He spawned his own spinoff series in 2000 that saw Mike Carey spearhead a solo comic book series that focused on Lucifer's exploits after returning to Earth, which was later turned into a TV show for Fox with Tom Ellis in the titular role. That adaptation, which moved to Netflix after its third season, was famous for taking liberties with the comic book source material, changing everything from major storylines to character appearances.
With Christie's Lucifer now in the fold, Netflix may have the opportunity for a more comic-accurate spinoff. Since the current TV adaptation is barely based on the source material, this new version has the chance to bring to life some of the stories Ellis' show never got a chance to tackle. More importantly, gender-swapping Lucifer opens up a lot of interesting possibilities. Not only does it help to ensure meaty roles for women actors, but it also emphasizes the idea that celestial beings don't always have to be white men. At this point, it's unclear how Christie's gender will factor into her angelic role, but making a change like this to a fan-favorite character is sure to have some story benefits
In truth, casting Christie as Lucifer in Netflix's The Sandman was the perfect choice to update an already beloved character. While gender-swapping the role may ruffle some feathers, Christie's imposing skill and track-record ensure that she'll do the part justice and leave fans ready for a spinoff.
Executive produced and co-written by Neil Gaiman and David S. Goyer, Sandman will be the first-ever live-action adaptation of the Vertigo Comics series. Allan Heinberg will serve as the series' showrunner, executive producer and co-writer.