Disney Halts Developing of The Graveyard Book Due to Sexual Assault Allegations
Disney has been working on a film adaptation of The Graveyard Book for a few years, with initial news of the project emerging in 2022. However, the highly anticipated adaptation has been paused due to various factors, including sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman, the author of the original 2008 novel.
Related – Disney to Adapt Neil Gaiman’s ‘Graveyard Book’
According to IndieWire, Disney has halted active development of The Graveyard Book. While there are reportedly other factors contributing to this decision, the sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman, the author of the original novel, played a significant role. Marc Forster, known for directing films like A Man Called Otto, Christopher Robin, and World War Z, was attached to the project and had been working with a screenplay written by David Magee, the screenwriter behind Finding Neverland.
IndieWire’s sources have indicated that The Graveyard Book isn’t being completely abandoned. Disney plans to revisit the project at a later time, but for now, development is on hold.
The Graveyard Book is a novel about a young boy who, after his family is murdered, is raised by a graveyard full of ghosts. While the film adaptation was in development, it hadn’t reached pre-production, so there were no cast members officially attached to the project. Gaiman, the author of the original novel, was not involved in the film adaptation beyond providing the source material. In fact, he clarified this on Tumblr in 2022, stating, “You know everything I know. And no, no control or say. Fingers crossed that if they make it, it’s good.”
On July 3rd, a four-part podcast series by Tortoise Media revealed sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman from two women. One woman claimed she was 18 when Gaiman assaulted her in 2003, while the other said the assaults occurred in 2022 when she was 25. Both women described consensual relationships with Gaiman but alleged non-consensual acts.
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