Mervyn "Merv" Pumpkinhead will definitely appear in Netflix's upcoming series adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. As for who is voicing the fan-favorite character -- Gaiman is saving that information for a rainy day.
On Twitter, Gaiman was asked if Merv would appear in Netflix's The Sandman and who would be providing his voice. "Yes, Merv is in the show," the author replied. "No, we haven't told you who's voicing him. We're saving it for a slow news day."
Created by Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Malcolm Jones III, Merv Pumpkinhead first appeared in Sandman #5, cover-dated May 1989. Merv is the immortal, wise-cracking, pumpkin-headed janitor of The Dreaming. Merv is occasionally grumpy about his job, seeing as how his boss, Dream of the Endless, could do it himself with little to no effort. Nevertheless, he remains loyal to Dream.
The Sandman was originally published under DC's Vertigo Comics imprint, running for a total of 75 issues from January 1989 to February 1996 (cover dates). Following his introduction in issue #5, Merv Pumpkinhead became a mainstay of the series. He's also appeared in spinoff titles like The Dreaming, The Books of Magic and Lucifer. He even got his own one-shot titled Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of D.R.E.A.M., which released in 2000 from writer Bill Willingham, artist Mark Buckingham, inker John Stokes, colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Todd Klein.
Merv Pumpkinhead appeared in the second act of Audible's audio drama adaptation of The Sandman, in which The Dreaming's loyal janitor was voiced by none other than filmmaker and lifelong comic book fan Kevin Smith. "...I got the call and they were like, 'Hey, they want you to do a voice in The Sandman,' and I didn't, I swear to you, I was like, 'I bet you it's Merv Pumpkinhead,' and they were like, 'It is Merv Pumpkinhead!'" Smith said of landing the role. "There was nothing else I could think of; I would ruin everything else. I was like, but that? I got a good chance of pulling that off..." Still, it remains to be seen who will take on the role for Netflix's adaptation.
Netflix's The Sandman is expected to premiere sometime this year, though no release date has been announced as of yet. The series stars Tom Sturridge as Dream, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, Boyd Holbrook as the Corinthian, Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death, Mason Alexander Park as Desire, Donna Preston as Despair and Jenna Coleman as both Lady Johanna Constantine and Joanna Constantine, among many others.
The Sandman is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2022.
Source: Twitter
