How claims against one of the world’s biggest authors have scuttled screen productions

Much has changed for bestselling English author Neil Gaiman in the past three months. Having been named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2023, the prolific writer was continuing his output of books for passionate fans and had Hollywood studios and streaming services adapting yet more of his imaginative fantasy works for the screen.

Neil Gaiman at The Sandman world premiere in London in 2022.Credit: Getty Images

But sexual misconduct allegations by five women in a podcast in July and August have led those studios and streamers to reassess their relationship with the writer.

Disney has paused a plan for a movie adaptation of The Graveyard Book, Netflix has decided not to renew the series Dead Boy Detectives and pre-production has paused on the final season of Prime Video’s Good Omens.

The podcast Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman detailed claims by five women about sexual misconduct by him, including sexual assault, which he has strenuously denied.

WHY SHOULD I KNOW NEIL GAIMAN?

Gaiman’s superstar writing career extends to graphic novels (including The Sandman series for DC Comics), fantasy novels (Good Omens with Terry Pratchett, Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, The Ocean At The End of the Lane) and children’s literature (Coraline, The Graveyard Book). He is also a scriptwriter (Neverwhere, Doctor Who, American Gods, Good Omens, The Sandman) whose work has been adapted by others for film and TV (Stardust, Coraline, How to Talk to Girls at Parties).

Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman during the shooting of Who Killed Amanda Palmer.

Having won many awards around the world and receiving five honorary degrees, Gaiman was a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency, a public supporter of women’s rights and a campaigner against sexual abuse.

In 2019, he married Dresdan Dolls singer, songwriter and author Amanda Palmer. They announced their divorce in 2022.

WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS?

Two women made untested allegations in the podcast that Gaiman sexually assaulted and abused them while in consensual relationships with him. One woman said she had made a sexual assault report against Gaiman to the New Zealand police, but they believed there was not enough evidence to pursue a case.

After the first two allegations became public, three more women came forward with their own stories of sexual misconduct. One said she had been sexually assaulted by him when she was kissed and groped on a tour bus in 2013. Another alleged he coerced her into sex under the threat of evicting her family from his property.

While acknowledging “this is a story of conflicting accounts”, the podcast claimed a pattern of “abusive behaviour that takes place within some sort of consensual relationship” with the five women.

Gaiman told the podcast his relationships with the women were consensual and “any suggestion of a pattern of behaviour is confected and flimsy”.

WHERE DOES IT GO FROM HERE?

Third and final season on pause: David Tennant and Michael Sheen in the fantasy comedy Good Omens.Credit: Mark Mainz/Prime Video

According to The New York Times, there are no publicly known lawsuits or open police investigations involving Gaiman and the author and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

But the allegations have made film and television production companies skittish about projects based on his work. Disney has paused development of an adaptation of Gaiman’s young adult novel The Graveyard Book, though an insider at the studio told The New York Times the allegations were not the sole reason.

Netflix has said the series Dead Boy Detectives, based on a comic book by Gaiman, would not return for a second season, but declined to say why it made that decision.

Deadline has reported that pre-production of the third and final season of the fantasy comedy Good Omens had been paused in Scotland amid “discussions about possible production changes”, with Gaiman reportedly offering to step back as showrunner.

So far, there has been no word on any impact on other productions, including the Netflix series The Sandman and a planned animated film, Cinnamon, announced with Graphic India in April.

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