If the rumour mill is to be believed, then the new producer may not need to look any further than the mirror to find his movie's star. A talented actor in both dramatic and comedic roles, charming and widely liked, former child star Gordon-Levitt has gradually been building a career that has varied between challenging indies like Mysterious Skin and huge-scale blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises, making him one of Hollywood's most in demand actors. It's only a matter of time before he gets given a leading role in a big studio picture even without already being attached as producer. Gordon-Levitt is obviously a Sandman fan, having been keen to play a part in developing the film from the ground up, with Gaiman himself suggesting a film could only work with someone with the same commitment and love of the material as Sam Raimi and Spider-Man or Peter Jackson and The Lord of the Rings. His previous work, whether in the post-modern teen-noir mash-up Brick or the dream-worlds-within-dream-worlds structure and logic of Inception, should provide some window into the possibilities a character like Dream and an environment like the Dreaming have to offer. However, this might suggest that Gordon-Levitt would be a better fit as director, much as his (500) Days of Summer director Mark Webb stepped up from his breakthrough non-traditional rom-com to a major comic book film with The Amazing Spider-Man. Although he has only directed one film, Gordon-Levitt is a director of ambition and vision, something that Sandman requires. As an actor, however, he may not be quite right for this specific role, lacking the presence, poise and detachment of Dream.
