Author Neil Gaiman has responded to the backlash surrounding casting Lucifer in the Netflix adaptation of his graphic novel series The Sandman.

Author Neil Gaiman has responded to the backlash surrounding casting Lucifer in the Netflix adaptation of his graphic novel series The Sandman. Gaimans The Sandman tells the story of Dream, the embodiment of dreams, as he escapes the captivity of a mortal wizard after decades and attempts to reclaim his lost gear. The series stars Tom Sturridge as Dream, along with a cast of notable actors including Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis and game of Thrones Star Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer. Currently, The Sandman is due out on Netflix later this year.

While many are certainly excited to see this Gaiman tale come to the big screen, some have expressed disappointment with Christie’s casting as Lucifer. Christie isn’t the first actor to take on this version of the Lord of Hell, co-created by Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg. Peter Stormare first took on the role in the 2005 film constantine, After that, the role of Tom Ellis was played in the hit Netflix series Lucifer. While some shared online that they were simply disappointed by the fact that Ellis didn’t return to reprise his fan-favorite role on Netflix sandman Series, others express upset that a woman is playing the role of Lucifer.

Related: The Sandman’s Lucifer Explained: How Accurate is Gwendoline Christie’s

After significant backlash to Christie’s casting on social media, Gaiman himself has taken to Twitter to defend the election and respond to criticism. After a user tweeted that Christie was “not my Lucifer”, Gaiman promptly replied with a simple, “not my problem.” After another, Netflix suggested Gaiman must have provided a sizable paycheck “Change” Lucifer from the source material and cast the character with a female actress, Gaiman responded by asking exactly how the character had changed. See the author’s tweets below:

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As the creator of Lucifer’s character, Gaiman’s views on the casting of Christie certainly carry significant weight in this debate. Beyond that, however, the author’s answer is consistent with the source material. In the original sandman In the graphic novel series, Lucifer is portrayed as largely androgynous, and the character’s gender never plays a role in the overall plot. As Gaiman pointed out, nothing about the character’s dialogue was changed in Netflix’s adaptation, although some have struggled to match their interpretation of the character to Christie’s portrayal. However, it’s also worth noting that Christie’s casting was also widely acclaimed by both fans of the original sandman Graphic novels and newcomers to the series.

Judging by his defense of the show’s casting decision, Gaiman clearly feels confident and proud of Christie’s iteration of Lucifer. And while many others sandman Adaptations have portrayed the character as a man who game of Thrones Star has proven to be more than a very strong and dynamic actress and it will be interesting to see how she takes on Gaiman’s iconic Lord of Hell. Audiences will be able to decide for themselves how and when Christie’s iteration stacks up against the rest The Sandman will finally be released on Netflix.

More: Netflix’s The Sandman: Each Character Explained

Source: Neil Gaimann

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