The Sandman's chilling trailer gets fans excited as Netflix confirms release date

Watch the trailer for The Sandman

Netflix has debuted the ominous trailer for Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and confirmed its release date, with fans sharing their excitement for the series on social media.

The 10-part fantasy drama — which will launch on 5 August 5 — is adapted from The Sandman comic book series created for DC by Gaiman.

Tom Sturridge leads as the Dream of the Endless (aka the Sandman), while Game of Thrones star Gwendolyn Christie plays Lucifer, Jenna Coleman stars as Johanna Constantine, and Unforgotten's Sanjeev Bhaskar and People Just Do Nothing's Asim Chaudhry play Cain and Abel.

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The trailer features Sturridge's Dream announcing: "I am the king of dreams, ruler of the nightmare realm."

Coleman's Johanna Constantine then appears, who describes the Sandman as nothing but a "fairy story", before fans see the Sandman's escape from captivity, along with the chaos that unfurls as he attempts to resolve the mistakes he's made in the past.

Vivienne Acheampong also features briefly as Lucienne, the librarian of the Dreaming, which contains every book ever dreamed of.

"This is going to be awesome!!!!!" one excited fan commented.

"I have honestly been waiting my whole life for this," another added.

The ensemble cast also includes Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, Killing Eve's Kirby Howell-Baptiste plays Death, Niamh Walsh and Joely Richardson as Ethel Cripps, and David Thewlis as John Dee.

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Netflix's synopsis reads: "A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, The Sandman follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic—and human—mistakes he's made during his vast existence."

“We’re thrilled to partner with the brilliant team that is Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg to finally bring Neil’s iconic comic book series, The Sandman, to life onscreen," Channing Dungey, VP, Original Series, Netflix said in a statement. "From its rich characters and storylines to its intricately built-out worlds, we’re excited to create an epic original series that dives deep into this multi-layered universe beloved by fans around the world."

The Sandman launches on Netflix on 5 August.