A few weeks ago, we reported that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) was circling the title role in Warner Bros.’ Sandman, an adaptation of the Neil Gaiman comic pitched to the studio by screenwriter-producer David S. Goyer. A new development has JGL in the final stages of a deal that sets him up as a producer of the film with an attachment to star, but the real twist is that he might be lining up to take the director’s chair as well. The search is on for a writer at the moment. Hit the jump for more.

Deadline reports that Gordon-Levitt may direct and star in Sandman in addition to his role as a producer alongside Goyer. Here’s what Gordon-Levitt had to say about it via Twitter:

Gordon-Levitt made his directorial debut with Don Jon, which was certainly a crowd-pleaser, but a Sandman adaptation brings with it the expectations of the property’s fanbase. Originally running from 1989 to 1996, Gaiman’s take on the comic series revived a mid-70s creation of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. Gaiman’s reimagining of the character went on to become one of the few graphic novels to grace the New York Times Bestseller list.

His story centers on the title character (who is known by many names, including Dream and Morpheus), an anthropomorphic manifestation of dreams. Held prisoner for 70s years, he escapes into the modern world to seek vengeance on his captors and set about rebuilding his crumbling kingdom. Much as the character himself changes from a cruel being to more of a tragic hero, the story itself evolves from a dark horror comic to an elaborate fantasy story. A Sandman adaptation has been tried a number of times over the years, so here’s hoping that Goyer and Gordon-Levitt can take it further down the road to development.