HBO Max has ordered the pilot for Dead Boy Detectives, a live-action TV series based on The Sandman comic book spinoff co-created by Neil Gaiman.
Steve Yockey, who developed HBO Max's critically-acclaimed comedy/mystery show The Flight Attendant, is writing and executive producing the pilot, as reported by Variety. Jeremy Carver, the creator of DC's live-action Doom Patrol series, is also an executive producer, as is Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and David Madden. The Dead Boy Detectives pilot is slated to begin production in November but has yet to secure a director.
Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, also known as the Dead Boy Detectives, are two deceased boys who, upon deciding not to enter the afterlife with Death, choose to remain on Earth and form their own crime-solving detective agency. Gaiman co-created the characters with artists Malcolm Jones III and Matt Wagner for 1991's The Sandman #25, as part of the "Season of Mists" arc in which Morpheus/Dream, one of the seven Endless and Death's brother, gains the keys to Hell after Lucifer steps down as ruler of the realm.
Interestingly, Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant are playing Charles and Edwin, respectively, in Doom Patrol's upcoming third season. However, Variety reported the pair are "not believed" to be attached to the Dead Boys Detectives pilot for the time being, making it unclear whether the latter is being developed as a Doom Patrol spinoff or a standalone adaptation of the DC Comics/Vertigo property.
Should it move forward, Dead Boy Detectives would join a rapidly growing collection of live-action series based on Gaiman's work. Other small screen adaptations of the revered multi-hyphenate's writing include American Gods, which Starz cancelled after three seasons back in March, and the Lucifer series that's about to premiere its last batch of episodes on Netflix. Gaiman is also working on a second season of Amazon Prime's Good Omens, based on his and Terry Pratchett's novel, as well as the streamer's Anansi Boys, a limited series adapted from Gaiman's American Gods spinoff/sequel book.
If that wasn't enough, Gaiman is also a writer and executive producer on Netflix's live-action Sandman TV show. The series, which has yet to receive a premiere date, stars Tom Sturridge as Dream opposite Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death.
Source: Variety