Jack Thorne to Pen 'Sandman' for Warner Bros.

Screenwriter Jack Thorne will write the script for Sandman, a Warner Bros project based on a pitch from David Goyer.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to produce with Goyer. The two previously worked together on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

The film Sandman is based on the series of graphic novels written by Neil Gaiman. Deadline reported, “The Sandman series shifts between horror and fantasy, and the central character is Morpheus, the personification of dreams. After being held captive 70 years, Morpheus escapes, gains revenge and rebuilds his crumbling kingdom while trying to adapt to the times.”

According to the Deadline article, “Warner Bros has long tried to crack the subject matter, and there is optimism that Goyer did that. The potential payoff is a highly original potential franchise, if Goyer, Gordon-Levitt and Warner Bros could pull it off. It has that cool factor like Looper did. Gordon-Levitt next stars in another seminal graphic novel-based film, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, which Robert Rodriguez and creator Frank Miller helmed. Thorne is repped by WME and Casarotto Ramsay.”

Previously, Thorne was the screenwriter for A Long Way Down, The Scouting Book for Boys and the upcoming War Book. He also wrote scripts for the multiple TV series, including Shameless, Coming Up, Skins, Cast Offs and This is England. Thorne won a BAFTA TV Award in 2012 for Best Drama Series for The Fades. In 2009, he won Best British Newcomer for The Scouting Book for Boys.

In other recent film news, Warner Bros. has closed a preemptive deal for American Blood, a 50-page proposal for a crime story by New Zealand-based bestselling author Ben Sanders for Macmillan Entertainment. Andrew Sodroski will adapt the book into the script. Bradley Cooper will produce and star in the movie through his 22nd & Indiana company. Check out the ScreenCraft post here.

Also, don’t miss Jason McKinnon’s post, When Does Your Screenplay’s Journey End?