Disney Halts Neil Gaiman Adaptation After Detailed Allegations

The Disney adaptation of The Graveyard Book has been in the works since 2012 when the company acquired the rights to the film.

It spent a decade in development hell, with Henry Sellick slated to direct the film at one time and Ron Howard at another. Now, the Neil Gaiman allegations have once again halted the movie’s production. 

Five different women have come forward to accuse Neil Gaiman of sexual assault over several decades. The allegations came to light in July of this year, with a former employee named Scarlett and a former fan going by K both making claims that he abused them during their respective relationships.

Since then, three more women have accused the author of assault, which is what prompted Disney to halt development. 

K claims that she was in a relationship with Neil Gaiman in the 2000s, that included painful sexual acts she “neither wanted nor enjoyed.”

While the author confirmed the relationship, he denied committing any crimes against her. Even if nothing illegal occurred in the relationship, the story certainly goes against the squeaky-clean image Disney tries to maintain. 

The accusations made by Scarlett are an even bigger problem for Disney, involving a criminal investigation. Scarlett, who was Neil Gaiman’s nanny, accused the author of forcing her to have unwanted rough intercourse in an otherwise consensual relationship, a claim being investigated by New Zealand police. The author acknowledged that relationship as well but denied any wrongdoing. 

The fate of The Graveyard Book may come down to the criminal investigation into Neil Gaiman. Disney behaved similarly when abuse accusations first came to light against actor Jonathan Majors, who played Kang in the MCU. Majors was eventually found guilty of assault and the company fired him as a result of his conduct. 

One key difference between the Jonathan Majors case and Neil Gaiman’s is that the author isn’t directly involved in the production of Disney’s movie.

The Graveyard Book, which is set to be directed by Marc Forster and written by David Magee, had no input from the author. That distance may help the movie get made despite the ongoing controversy around the original novel’s author. 

The Graveyard Book, which originally came out in 2008, is a supernatural horror young adult novel. It follows Nobody Owens, a boy raised by ghosts inhabiting a graveyard after the murder of his family. It was a highly regarded and popular book, that had the potential to be a major hit for Disney before the accusations against Neil Gaiman complicated its production. 

Neil Gaiman’s name was an asset when The Graveyard Book was first picked up for adaptation, but it has quickly become a burden. Disney must now deal with the author’s diminished public image. That negative association has already postponed the movie and may kill it altogether.

Source: Variety