'The Sandman' SDCC Trailer Brings Nightmares to the Waking World

The world of The Sandman sees the threat of dreams disappearing, which would mean the disappearance of humanity, as well. See the fight to keep the world from being reshaped in a new two-minute trailer for the series, which debuts Aug. 5 on Netflix.

"Your waking world is shaped by dreams — dreams and nightmares that I create and which I must control," the trailer, which you can watch below, narrates. 

In the series, which is based on the comic book series from Neil Gaiman, Tom Sturridge plays the titular Sandman, aka the Master of Dreams, who is in charge of that function of sleep but is unexpectedly captured and imprisoned for more than a century. Upon his escape, he has to cross different worlds and timelines in order to fix the chaos that came when he was no longer in that control. 

Most of that chaos comes from the fact that his "creations," aka elements of nightmares, having now crossed from Dreaming to the waking world and are killing people.

"You don't think dreams can die? Let's find out," the trailer sets up the conflict to put an end to these dire changes.

The show also stars Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Vanesu Samunyai, John Cameron Mitchell, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joely Richardson, Niamh Walsh, Sandra James-Young, and Razane Jammal.

It comes from executive producers Gaiman; Allan Heinberg, who also serves as showrunner; and David S. Goyer.