Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s acclaimed comic book series Sandman is reportedly looking at Liam Hemsworth or Dacre Montgomery for the role of The Corinthian, a nigh-indestructible nightmare come to life who kills his victims, possesses their bodies, and physically transforms them along the way. The character, who has teeth for eyes and white hair (those being the characteristics his victims take on once possessed by him), was created by Gaiman and artist Mike Dreiberg during the first arc of the comic, “A Doll’s House.” In the recent Audible audio drama, The Corinthian was voiced by Star Wars veteran Riz Ahmed.
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The role is down to this pair (at least right now), according to a report at The Illuminerdi. It appears from recent casting breakdowns that The Corinthian will play a significant role in the series, although whether that will be like the comics — where he was destroyed and then recreated “with some changes” by Morpheus — or more like a standard long-term antagonist is anybody’s guess.
The character was designed to put some fear into the hearts of humanity at Morpheus’s behest, but the nightmarish Corinthian found himself untethered from any higher power and functionally immortal when Morpheus was imprisoned. That is likely to be where we meet the slick-dressing villain at the start of the series.
Consuming the eyes of his victims is a key part of his possession, as it allows him to see their memories, thus making him a convincing replacement for anyone whose family and friends wouldn’t totally balk at the sudden white hair and penchant for wearing dark glasses.
…When you say it that way, he just sounds like a Twin Peaks character.
After being destroyed and reconstituted, The Corinthian was still not exactly a “good guy.” At one point he threw down with Loki in the Norse land of Swartalfheim.
Gaiman had an off-page declaration that The Corinthian was gay, apparently explaining why he only consumed the eyes of men (per the Sandman Wiki). As with J.K. Rowling and Dumbledore, this was not a character trait that played into the stories themselves, although later writers would take Gaiman at his word, and the second version of The Corinthian was eventually depicted as having a boyfriend.
Liam Hemsworth, besides being the brother of Marvel’s Thor (an interesting choice for a character who faced off with Loki), is likely best known for his roles in The Hunger Games and Independence Day: Resurgence. The Illuminerdi report suggests he has the inside track and has been in contact with Gaiman (who serves as the series’ producer) for quite some time. Montgomery, familiar to Netflix audiences for his role as Billy in Stranger Things, seems to be the guy for the job if things don’t work out with Hemsworth.
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