Earlier this year, it was announced that Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is being adapted by Walt Disney Studios. According to the initial reports, an adaptation of the best-selling 2008 novel is in development with Marc Forster (World War Z) set to direct. The road to this adaptation has been a bit wonky and was originally being developed for film by Miramax by Neil Jordan, but the rights ended up being purchased by Disney. The original version was expected to be helmed by Henry Selick (Coraline), but it was canceled. In addition to changing hands, there’s another bit of news that might make fans of the book nervous. Gaiman recently revealed on Tumblr (via CBR) that he’s not involved with the project.
Gaiman was asked on Tumblr if he had any involvement in the film and he replied, “You know everything I know. And no, no control or say. Fingers crossed that if they make it, it’s good.” Inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, you can read a description of Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book below:
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“Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack-who has already killed Bod’s family.”
How Do Authors Feel About Film and TV Adaptations?
Adapting books into shows and movies certainly isn’t a new concept in Hollywood, and Neil Gaiman has had many of his works put to screen. Gaiman’s most recent project was Netflix’s Sandman with a second season of Good Omens on the way. Recently, Gaiman was joined by George R.R. Martin at New York City’s Symphony Space (via Variety) and the duo commiserated about unfaithful adaptations. Martin is best known for writing the books that Game of Thrones and now House of the Dragon are based on, and he talked about the “obligation to be faithful to the written material,” which he called a “controversial” issue in Hollywood.
“How faithful do you have to be? Some people don’t feel that they have to be faithful at all. There’s this phrase that goes around: ‘I’m going to make it my own.’ I hate that phrase. And I think Neil probably hates that phrase, too,” Martin shared. “I do,” Gaiman replied. “I spent 30 years watching people make Sandman their own. And some of those people hadn’t even read Sandman to make it their own, they’d just flipped through a few comics or something.” Gaiman said that it was a “joy” getting to make The Sandman for Netflix, and Martin pleased the crowd by exclaiming, “We want Season 2!”
Are you excited about The Graveyard Book? Tell us in the comments.
