Disney has canceled the film adaptation of “The Graveyard Book”

He is considered a guru of modern fantasy and science fiction literature. The Englishman Neil Gaiman (63), who lives in Minneapolis in the US and is the ex-husband of singer Amanda Palmer, wrote award-winning works such as “The Sandman” and “Anansi Boys”. These became the basis for various screenplays. His 2008 epic “The Graveyard Book” is also currently being made into a lavish film. Now the Disney Studios are pulling the emergency brake.

As various US industry services report, the ongoing “Graveyard” project with director Marc Forster has been halted for the time being “for various reasons”, including the allegations against Gaiman of sexual assault. In recent weeks, more and more women have come forward accusing the star author of harassing them or forcing them to have sex.

He vehemently denies the allegations against him, citing “consensual acts”. The Netflix series “Dead Boy Detectives”, which is based on a comic book series by Gaiman, was also canceled a few weeks after the first allegations became known, according to a report by “Variety”.

The trigger was a report by the British news platform Tortoise Media on July 3: Here, the “Sandman” creator was accused of sexually abusing a then 18-year-old woman named Scarlett in 2003 and a 23-year-old woman named Scarlett in 2022 during an extended stay in New Zealand.

It states: “Gaiman claims that they only 'cuddled' and 'smooched' in the bathtub and that he obtained consent to do so.” He claims that he and Scarlett had a three-week relationship in which she only engaged in consensual penetration. “Scarlett claims that Gaiman engaged in crude and degrading sexual acts with her during their otherwise consensual relationship,” Tortoise said.

This incident led to a police complaint against Gaiman in New Zealand, where New Zealand authorities are currently conducting an investigation.

Three more women accuse Neil Gaiman

The other woman, named K, says she met Gaiman at a book launch in Florida in 2003, when she was 18. She claims she became romantically involved with Gaiman when she was 20 and he was in his mid-40s, but that the relationship resulted in sexual conduct that “she neither enjoyed nor did she enjoy,” according to Tortoise.

Gaiman has denied any unlawful conduct, including towards K.

Tortoise has released a podcast series with extensive details. In subsequent episodes, three more women came forward with further allegations.