Stage adaptation of Coraline scrapped after Neil Gaiman allegations
Gaiman, 64, has denied the allegations and said he has 'never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever'.
Co-production partners, Leeds Playhouse, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and Home Manchester, said in a joint statement: 'We have decided our production of Coraline – A Musical will not proceed.
'After careful consideration, we feel it would be impossible to continue in the context of the allegations against its original author.
'Ticket holders have been contacted directly via email.'
Coraline is a dark fantasy children's novel that tells the story of a young girl who unlocks a door into a different and unusual world.
Hollywood actress Dakota Fanning and comedians Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders were among the stars who lent their voices to a film adaptation in 2009.
The musical was due to be staged at Leeds Playhouse from April 11 to May 11 before touring to Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
In a blog post, earlier this month, the author said he had read the allegations with 'horror and dismay', following claims made by eight women against the writer in an article published by New York Magazine.
The allegations were made public in July 2024 when a Tortoise Media podcast series reported on sexual assault allegations against Gaiman by five women.
Since the allegations first surfaced, several film and TV adaptations of Gaiman's stories have reportedly been affected, including season three of Good Omens, which he jointly wrote with Terry Pratchett, and a film of The Graveyard Book.
On Saturday, Dark Horse Comics, a publisher of Gaiman's graphic novels and comic books, said it was no longer releasing his work.
'Confirming that the Anansi Boys comic series and collected volume have been cancelled,' the company said in a statement.
In January 2023 a police report was made in New Zealand accusing Gaiman of sexual assault.
The investigation was later dropped.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Untamed' Rises To No. 1 On Netflix TV Charts After Debut Weekend As Audiences Also Revisit Amy Bradley Missing Persons Case
Netflix audiences were enthralled by the mysterious death of a woman in Yosemite National Park in Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith's Untamed last week. The series debuted on July 17 and quickly racked up 24.6M views, putting it at No. 1 on the English-language TV list. That's quite a strong start — and a rejuvenation of that chart, which was looking a little lackluster last week. This also marks the second No. 1 debut for Mark L. Smith this year, after American Primeval hit the top spot in January. More from Deadline 'Monopoly': Inside Netflix's Massive Bake-Off To Win Right To Produce Board Game Reality Series Jussie Smollett Documentary Set At Netflix From 'The Tinder Swindler' Producers Netflix Breaks Into Top 3 Distributors In Nielsen's June Rankings, But YouTube Still Dominates Once again, true crime was also top of mind for Netflix viewers. Amy Bradley Is Missing took second place, amassing 12.2M views from July 14 to 20. The Sandman Season 2 also picked up another 3.3M views, good enough for third place. As Deadline previously reported, the series took a bit of a viewership hit from the first season, which finished its second week of availability with around 11.5M views. However, by the third week, the series was sitting at a similar benchmark. It's hard to say exactly what contributed to the decline, though it's likely that the comic adaptation was impacted by the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against Neil Gaiman, who created the comic on which the series is based and developed and executive produces the Netflix series. Gaiman has denied the allegations. Season 2 is the finale season of The Sandman. WWE's RAW maintained its presence as well at No. 5 with 2.7M views. In tenth place this week was Lena Dunham's Too Much, putting up 1.9M views in its first full week of availability. This is probably pretty on par with its debut weekend performance, though it's hard to say, because it didn't make the Top 10 last interval. At that time, its absence from the rankings suggest it pulled in around or under 2M views in its first few days on Netflix, given that was the tally for last weeks No. 10 Ms. Rachel. As for non-English TV, Squid Game Season 3 retained its No. 1 spot for the fourth week with another 7.8M views. On the film side of things, KPop Demon Hunters is still a big hit, staying at No. 1 with another 25.8M views. That's its highest week of viewing, and it's already been on the Top 10 for the past four weeks, indicating that the movie has some legs still. Second place went to Madea's Destination Wedding with 16.5M views, and Happy Gilmore also jetted onto the list at No. 6 with 4M views ahead of the sequel's premiere. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Everything We Know About 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Netflix's The Sandman still comes off like unimaginative cosplay
DC Comics' The Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman, was a groundbreaking and surreal series. However, the Netflix adaptation remains content to paint by the numbers. Superhero movies often take inspiration from their source material, but the better ones usually avoid directly translating stories to the screen word-for-word or panel-for-panel. As a TV show, The Sandman struggles to exceed or even match the original's stunning visual landscape, and its characters often feel like unimaginative cosplayers reciting Gaiman's dialogue. The Sandman's first season offered some compelling reasons for viewers to sympathize with its lead, Morpheus of the Dreaming (Tom Sturridge). He was kidnapped and held prisoner for a century; and once he escaped, he set out to reclaim what he had lost, both physically and spiritually. Sadly, the first half of The Sandman's second and final season doesn't deliver many satisfying reasons for us to care about what we're watching. These six new episodes are based on Season Of Mists and Brief Lives—and unfortunately, those very different tales are loosely connected through a specific plot point that just wanders off midway through its run, as if left unattended. Ultimately, this batch of installments serves as a character study for Morpheus, also known as Dream, who mostly sleepwalks through the proceedings. As drawn by artists Kelley Jones and Jill Thompson, the original Dream boasts a thrilling, unconventional weirdness that is absent on the screen. Instead, Sturridge performs the part as if he's a supernatural Mr. Darcy—or worse, Prince Charles from The Crown. There's far too much of the preening aristocrat and not nearly enough of the unknowable eternal being, with Sturridge delivering somber lines that feel stiff and joyless. A relentlessly dour Dream roams around rooms that resemble vampire-themed nightclubs and speaks in ponderous, whispered tones. It all comes off at times like a Key & Peele parody. Yes, he's the lord of dreams, but his very presence shouldn't put viewers to sleep. Critics have argued that the Netflix series is too faithful to Gaiman's work, but that's only true on the most superficial level. Overall, the TV series misses the mark on what made The Sandman so engaging and unique. Season Of Mists and Brief Lives were published in the early 1990s, and the Netflix adaptation exists in a seeming vacuum as if the past 30 years of TV fantasy and horror never happened. It's a curious choice. The Sandman is a clear spiritual ancestor to later genre entries such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Supernatural, and Gaiman's work shares (and perhaps even inspired) their quirky, tongue-in-cheek approach. Dream holding a 'dinner party' where he meets and greets the treacherous contenders for ultimate power could have played out like a timely spin on reality shows like The Traitors. Later, Dream and his (very odd) sister Delirium (Esmé Creed-Miles) embark on what is effectively a wacky road trip to find their estranged brother Destruction (Barry Sloane). The sight of the two on a commercial airline fight in the comic is a laugh-out-loud moment. But the Netflix series drains these situations of any trace of humor or sly wit. Simply put, the show is serious at a time when works of fantasy are confident enough to not take themselves so seriously. The first-season finale set up a potential epic war between Hell and the Dreaming that is never fully realized, so Gwendoline Christie's return as Lucifer is disappointingly anticlimactic. The series obviously struggles with Lucifer, the fallen angel who was the basis for the titular series on Fox (and later Netflix). Tom Ellis' crime-solving devil was a significant departure from the text, and apparently Netflix's The Sandman chose to distinguish between the two versions by eliminating most of Lucifer's puckish charm and Machiavellian edge. Christie's Lucifer is as mopey and sullen as Dream, so their scenes together lack the source material's tension. Gaiman's Lucifer, on the other hand, was openly based on David Bowie. It's a shame, as it feels like a waste of Christie's talent and a commanding presence. Kirby Howell-Baptiste's Death is a necessary departure from the comic's now-dated 'pale goth girl,' yet the incongruity of a hip, perky, teenage embodiment of Death helped make her a fan-favorite character. Howell-Baptiste plays her as almost timeless, not really of this particular moment. She's more mature and somber than her on-the-page counterpart, so just what you might imagine from the personification of Death. And that brings up a big conundrum with the series: There are rarely any surprises. The comic was famously adventurous, frequently pushing the boundaries of its format, while the Netflix series is predictably straightforward, without the madcap nature of an actual dream. But on the plus side, the show does make a change to a character from Brief Lives that is particularly relevant for today, with the story directly challenging the cruel prejudice some people can't escape even in death. This tweak also affords a rare moment of genuine compassion from Dream (something the show could have used more of). And in other good news, Mason Alexander Park remains something of a revelation as Desire, imbuing Dream's younger sibling with layers of complexity. They are simultaneously seductive and sinister—and luckily (given that this is such a predictable adaptation), Desire should play a larger role in the final half of season two, which adapts The Kindly Ones and Overture. In the end, the experience of watching Netflix's The Sandman is like listening to a cover band perform one of your favorite songs: It's a passable version of something you've long enjoyed, with familiar beats that are comforting—even if nothing new or original has been added. And for newbies, there is still enough left of the original's imaginative world to entertain. The Sandman season two, volume one premieres July 3 on Netflix More from A.V. Club Duster's LaToya Morgan and Rachel Hilson on rooting a very '70s story in the here and now Spoiler Space: Jurassic World Rebirth once again makes dinosaurs everyone's problem Sinners got a bunch of its costumes from Marvel's abandoned Blade period movie Solve the daily Crossword
Business Upturn
13-07-2025
- Business Upturn
Good Omens Season 3: Release date rumors, cast updates and what to expect next
By Aman Shukla Published on July 13, 2025, 19:00 IST Last updated July 13, 2025, 16:33 IST If you're anything like me, you've been counting down the days (or years!) for Good Omens Season 3 ever since that gut-punch of a Season 2 finale. The show, born from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's brilliant novel, has us all hooked with its quirky humor, cosmic stakes, and the downright magical chemistry between Aziraphale and Crowley. So, what's next for our favorite angel-demon duo? Let's dive into the latest on the release date, cast, and what we can expect from the final chapter of this heavenly (and hellish) tale. When Can We Expect Good Omens Season 3? Alright, let's get the big question out of the way: when is Good Omens Season 3 dropping? Amazon Prime Video hasn't given us an official date yet, but there's enough chatter to piece together a rough timeline. Filming is set to kick off in January 2025 in Scotland, according to Doon Mackichan (our dear Archangel Michael) and some set leaks floating around. Here's the twist, though—Season 3 isn't a full season. It's a single, 90-minute episode, more like a movie to wrap things up. Why the change? Well, 2024 was a bumpy year for the show. Production hit a snag in September when allegations surfaced against Neil Gaiman, who's no longer involved in the project. Amazon decided to move forward with a streamlined finale to give fans closure. With filming starting early next year, I'm crossing my fingers for a release by late 2025, maybe around the holidays if we're lucky. Good Omens Season 3 Cast Updates The cast of Good Omens is like a warm hug, and thankfully, most of our favorites are returning to see this story through. Here's the scoop on who's confirmed and who we're hoping to see: Michael Sheen (Aziraphale) David Tennant (Crowley) Doon Mackichan (Archangel Michael) Derek Jacobi (Metatron) Jon Hamm (Gabriel) Miranda Richardson (Shax) Quelin Sepulveda (Muriel) Maggie Service and Nina Sosanya (Maggie and Nina) Could we see others, like Adam Young (Sam Taylor Buck), Anathema Device (Adria Arjona), or even Frances McDormand as God's voice? It's possible, but nothing's confirmed. Gaiman once teased that 'some people you love' will return, so I'm keeping my hopes up for surprises. One big change behind the scenes: director Douglas Mackinnon, who gave us the vibe of Seasons 1 and 2, won't be back. A new writer is stepping in to finish the script, which has me curious about the tone. What to expect in Good Omens Season 3? If Season 2 was a cozy, romantic detour, Season 3 is gearing up to bring back the end-of-the-world stakes from Season 1. The finale picks up after that scene—you know, the one where Aziraphale and Crowley broke our hearts by parting ways. Aziraphale's now in Heaven, running the show, while Crowley's probably sulking with a bottle of wine somewhere. According to Gaiman, the story comes from a chat he had with Pratchett decades ago about 'what happens next,' so it's rooted in their original vision. Expect a chaotic second stab at Armageddon, with Heaven and Hell meddling in ways only they can. Metatron's scheming is sure to be central, and there's buzz about the Second Coming playing a role—maybe even a cameo from Jesus Christ, who popped up briefly in Season 1. The big question is whether Aziraphale and Crowley can patch things up. Tennant's 'more kisses' comment has me hopeful for a resolution to their slow-burn romance, but Maggie Service praised Season 2's realistic ending, so I'm bracing for something bittersweet yet authentic. The 90-minute format has me a bit nervous—can they wrap up this epic story in one episode? But with Sheen and Tennant at the helm, I trust it'll be packed with humor, heart, and just enough weirdness to feel like Good Omens . Ahmedabad Plane Crash Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
