Disney has paused its adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s “The Graveyard Book,” which was in pre-production with director with Marc Forster at Pinewood Studios in the U.K. The move comes after five women alleged sexual assault against author Gaiman, who wrote young adult novel “The Graveyard Book” in 2008.
Insiders tell IndieWire the film has not been scrapped but multiple factors, including the allegations, contributed to putting it on hold.
This summer, U.K.-based startup news outlet Tortoise Media published a podcast series with detailed accounts of claims against Gaiman by four women. A fifth woman came forward in late July on the podcast “Am I Broken: Survivor Stories.” Two women said they’d been in consensual relationships with the author, but alleged that he’d forced them into non-consensual “rough and degrading” sex. The claims referred to incidents that were years apart.
Gaiman, who has denied the allegations, rose to international fame with his graphic novel series “The Sandman” and novels such as “Good Omens,” “Stardust,” “American Gods,” and “Coraline.” IndieWire’s requests for comment to his reps, as well as those to Pinewood Studios, and Forster’s representation, went unanswered.
No cast had been announced for “The Graveyard Book,” which tells the story of a young boy raised by the supernatural denizens of a graveyard after his family is murdered. The director of “Coraline,” Henry Selick, was attached to the project right after Disney acquired the rights to the book in 2012. Forster came onboard in 2022 to direct and produce with partner Renée Wolfe with a screenplay by David Magee (“Finding Neverland”).
In a December 29, 2022 Tumblr entry, Gaiman said that he had no involvement with the Disney production. Responding to a fan, he said, “You know everything I know. And no, no control or say. Fingers crossed that if they make it, it’s good.”
In late August, Netflix announced that “Dead Boy Detectives,” a series based on characters Gaiman co-created for DC Comics, would not return for a second season.
