Production in progress The Cemetery Booka feature film based on a Neil Gaiman story that was in development at Disney has been delayed indefinitely. The news follows serious misconduct allegations against Gaiman.
Previously, it was reported that Gaiman had been accused of sexual assault. IndieWire now reports that Disney has shelved The Cemetery Bookbut it was also noted that the allegations were only one factor in the decision to suspend the project. In particular, the film was not cancelled entirely and could potentially go back into production at some point in the future. While there may have been other factors that led to the film's shelving, it seems likely that Disney will not move forward with the project until they see how the situation with Gaiman plays out.
Marc Forster was supposed to direct The Cemetery Bookannounced in 2022. David Magee wrote the screenplay. It’s unclear exactly how far along the film is in development, but no cast members have signed on to the project. Renée Wolfe, Gil Netter, and Ben Browning were on board as producers. As for Gaiman, the author had no direct involvement in the project. He shared in 2022, after the film was announced, that he knew nothing more about the project beyond what was published in the press.
“You know everything I know. And no, no oversight or say in the matter. Fingers crossed that if they make it, it's a good thing,” Gaiman said in a Tumblr post.
Multiple women's allegations against Gaiman were made public this summer in a podcast published by Tortoise Media. One woman said Gaiman sexually assaulted her in February 2022 after she was hired as a nanny by the author. Two others say they were involved in consensual relationships with Gaiman before he forced them to have “degrading” sex with him. Another woman reportedly accused Gaiman of raping her on Am I Broken? Survivor Stories podcast in July.
Dead Boy Detectives Just Got Cancelled By Netflix
Meanwhile, it was recently reported that Netflix has cancelled Dead Boys Detective after just one season. The series, which was set in the same universe as The Sandmandebuted on Netflix in April, and its future has been uncertain ever since. Although it wasn't canceled until after the allegations against Gaiman surfaced, it's unclear whether Netflix's decision to axe the series was directly related to the controversy. A second season of The Sandman is currently in production on the streaming platform.
Source: IndieWire
If you are a victim of sexual assault or misconduct residing in the United States and need help, contact RAINN at 800-656-4673 to be connected to a trained staff member of a sexual assault service provider in your area. If you live outside the United States, click here for a list of international sexual assault resources.