Neil Gaiman Would Like Elon Musk To Stay In His Own ‘Fail’ Lane Rather Than Complain About An Epic Fantasy On TV

Neil Gaiman knows a few things about adapting epic fantasy works for streaming. That’s especially the case since The Sandman launched as (against plenty of odds, like the elaborate, unimaginably complex process of translating epic fantasy to the screen) a stunning success, all after Gaiman made it known that he gave “zero f*cks” about complaints that Netflix’s The Sandman cast prominently starred Black and non-binary actors. Subsequently, The Sandman transformed into a streaming hit with Gaiman pushing back on the minuscule “backlash” over diverse casting.

So when Neil Gaiman received an inquiry on Elon Musk’s anti-woke complaints about Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the comic book legend didn’t hesitate to let people know what he really thought. Musk had already been dragged for complaining about Galadriel being the strongest, bravest character on board while also hyperbolically declaring, “Tolkien is turning in his grave.”

When a Twitter user remarked upon this “crazy” development, Gaiman made it clear that he didn’t give Elon Musk’s opinion much weight when it comes to TV adaptations of legendary works. In response, the Black Orchid author (who was instrumental in inspiring legions of female fans to join the comic book world) alluded to Elon’s buy-or-not-buy Twitter endeavor. To that end, Gaiman suggests that Elon say in his lane: “Elon Musk doesn’t come to me for advice on how to fail to buy Twitter, and I don’t go to him for film, TV or literature criticism.”

Short and sweet and effective. Meanwhile, The Sandman still awaits a Season 2 renewal, but that has everything to do with the cost of the wildly popular show and not quality (because it is an exquisite production). Fingers crossed that we’ll hear some good news soon.