The most loved, most popular character in the whole Sandman universe, including the eponymous Dream, is Death. Far from the implacable grim reaper of other personifications of life's end, Death of the Endless is the one of Gaiman's immortals to display a constant supportive, empathetic attitude towards humanity. She also represents a kindly and wise listener and adviser to her siblings, Dream above all, and all this in the body of a cute goth girl. Anna Kendrick is an Oscar nominee and has plenty of experience in big hit movies thanks to the Twilight series, but is only just becoming a well known name in her own right. With six films coming out this year, culminating in the part of Cinderella in the Disney adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical fairy tale mash-up Into the Woods, Kendrick is set to become more of a familiar star by the time Sandman goes into production. Kendrick has a likeable, down to earth persona that extends from lo-fi indies and comedies like 50/50 (in which she already displayed good chemistry with Gordon-Levitt) and Drinking Buddies, to her popular social media presence. In the role of Scott Pilgrim's Stacey she has already embodied a comic book character's more mature sister, judging and advising on her brother's messy life in a way not unlike Gaiman's Death. Other options: Gaiman fan Claire Danes (the star in Stardust and the Princess in the Gaiman penned dub of Princess Mononoke) wrote the introduction to the spin-off comic Death: The Time of Your Life, but would perhaps have been a more appropriate choice in her My So Called Life era than while currently starring in Homeland. Gaiman tried to get a film of Death made with Guillermo del Toro during the 00s at which point it was rumoured to star Return to Oz and The Craft's Fairuza Balk, perhaps no longer a big enough name. Stars like Ellen Page and Natalie Portman have also been mentioned in the past.
