Amid a recent series of sexual abuse allegations against award-winning author Neil Gaiman, Disney has released a planned feature film adaptation of its 2008 YA title The cemetery book on pause, Deadline can confirm.
Studio representatives declined comment.
We’re told there were a number of factors behind the decision to pause the film. The allegations against Gaiman – which the author has denied – are just one of them. One of the first prosecutors to speak out against Gaiman, in reporting from Britain’s Tortoise Media was Scarlett, who alleged the author sexually assaulted her in New Zealand in February 2022 while she worked as a nanny to his child. Another, K, said that after meeting Gaiman at a book signing in Florida in 2003, at age 18, she had rough sex with him — in the midst of an otherwise consensual relationship — that she “didn’t want and didn’t liked’.
Don’t expect to hear more about it The cemetery book until this situation plays out, as the project had been in deep development until now, with no cast attached yet. As we first reported, Marc Forster came on board to direct the pic from a script by David Magee in 2022.
Forster’s production partner Renée Wolfe would produce alongside Gil Netter and Ben Browning through their 2Dux2 banner. Gaiman acknowledged that he had no involvement in the project even before allegations against him emerged. go to Tumblr in December 2022 to tell a fan, “You know everything I know. And no, no control or say. Fingers crossed that if they make it, it’s good.”
The winner of the American Newberry Medal and numerous other awards, The cemetery book tells the story of Nobody “Bod” Owen, a young boy who is raised by the ghosts and supernatural beings of a graveyard – including the cemetery’s caretaker, Silas – after his family is murdered.
The famous British author of the book, Gaiman, also known for titles such as The Sandman, American Gods, Coraline And Good omens – saw five women make allegations of sexual assault against him this summer, most of which emerged in Tortoise Media reporting, including as part of a podcast.
While more than one female accuser told Tortoise Media that they had a consensual relationship with Gaiman, those who did so also painted the picture of subjection to “rough and degrading sex with the author, which they say was not always consensual .”
Gaiman also recently saw Netflix cancel his series Dead boy detectivesbased on his comic book characters, after one season, although it is not clear if the accusations against him played a role in that decision.
