A U.K. stage production of Neil Gaiman‘s “Coraline” has been canceled following allegations of sexual assault against the author.
The “Coraline” musical was set to take place at Leeds Playhouse from April 11 to May 11 before touring to Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester.
Co-production partners Leeds Playhouse, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Birmingham Rep and Home Manchester issued a joint statement on Wednesday, which reads: “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.”
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Back in July 2024, Tortoise Media broke the news that Gaiman had been accused of sexual assault by two women and released a six-part podcast, “Master,” which covered the allegations of five women. New York Magazine then amplified the story after publishing an article titled “There Is No Safe Word,” in which reporter Lila Shapiro interviewed eight women who had similar experiences with the “Coraline” and “Sandman” author. Four of those women had also appeared on Tortoise’s podcast.
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Gaiman released a statement at the time, in which he expressed regret for how he’s handled some relationships. He wrote, “I was emotionally unavailable while being sexually available, self-focused and not as thoughtful as I could or should have been.” However, he denied any allegations of sexual assault, adding, “I’m not willing to turn my back on the truth, and I can’t accept being described as someone I am not, and cannot and will not admit to doing things I didn’t do.”
Since Tortoise’s report, several of Gaiman’s projects have been affected. Season 3 of Prime Video’s “Good Omens” will now end with one 90-minute episode, with Gaiman not part of the production. Disney paused production on its film adaptation of “The Graveyard Book” and Netflix canceled “Dead Boy Detectives,” though it’s unclear if it was related to the allegations. “The Sandman” Season 2 is still expected to release this year on Netflix. Earlier this month, Dark Horse Comics dropped Gaiman and canceled his “Anansi Boys” comic series.
