Disney has paused development on “The Graveyard Book” following allegations of sexual assault against Neil Gaiman, author of the 2008 book by the same name.
Indiewire first reported the news.
Representatives for Disney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap. But according to Deadline, the accusations are only part of the reason the project is on hold.
“The Graveyard Book” was only in development and has not been tossed out entirely. Marc Forster is signed on to direct but no cast have been hired.
In a four-part podcast series by Tortoise published in July, two women accused Gaiman of assaulting them while they were in consensual relationships with the author.
Scarlett, who is 23, claimed Gaiman sexually assaulted her in 2022 soon after he hired her as a nanny for his child. She accused Gaiman of having engaged in “rough and degrading penetrative sexual acts with her” and supplied Tortoise with “contemporaneous messages, notes” that “support her allegations.”
The second woman, identified only by the initial K., said she met Gaiman at a book signing in 2003 when she was 18. She said the pair began a relationship when she was 20 and Gaiman was 40 and that the author sometimes subjected her to painful sex “she neither wanted nor enjoyed.”
Gaiman denied both allegations.
Tortoise said it “understands that he believes K’s allegations are motivated by her regret over their relationship and that Scarlett was suffering from a condition associated with false memories at the time of her relationship with him,” but asserted that Gaiman’s account is “not supported by her medical records and medical history.”
The Tortoise podcast is hosted by Rachel Johnson, the younger sister of Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Katie Gunning, formerly of the BBC, and Paul Caruana Galizia serve as producers.
“The Graveyard Book” tells the story of Nobody “Bod” Owens, a young boy who is adopted by supernatural beings who live in a graveyard after his family is killed.
Leave a Reply