The Upcoming Adaptations of Neil Gaiman's Work

A bumper harvest of Neil Gaiman-penned projects are currently in development, and due to arrive on the big and small screen and elsewhere in the next few years. 

From movie projects such as The Sandman, to the long-anticipated TV adaptation of American Gods, and the recently announced BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of 1990 Terry Pratchett collaboration, Good Omens, Gaiman fans' cups will soon runneth over...

FILM

Sandman

It's meant with no disrespect to the terrific Coraline and Stardust when saying that Sandman is likely to be the biggest Neil Gaiman project to date at the movies. Backed by Warner Bros, as part of its thrust towards bringing lots of DC Comics properties to the screen, Sandman's going to be one of the first out of the proverbial traps.

Based on the comic book series that's run to 75 issues and one special in its main form, The Sandman has Jack Thorne (the excellent The Fades) attached to pen the screenplay. He's working with producer Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the film, with Gordon-Levitt also expected, although not confirmed, to be in front of the camera too. Further rumours persist that he's a candidate to direct the film.

Sandman is expected to go into production next year, ahead of a release in 2016. Nobody close to the film has confirmed those dates, we should be clear.

Hansel & Gretel

Gaiman's take on Hansel & Gretel is arriving in graphic novel form later this year, and already the movie rights to it have been snapped up. Juliet Blake, who produced The Hundred-Foot Journey, is the person who's picked them up.

No timescale, screenwriter or director details have been made available yet.

How To Talk To Girls At Parties

A Gaiman short story, How To Talk To Girls At Parties is about a female alien on Earth who finds herself in Croydon. Such is her desire to explore the most dangerous places on the planet.

The particularly good news here is that How To Talk To Girls At Partiesis in the hands of John Cameron Mitchell. He's co-writing the script with Philippa Goslett, and is set to direct the film too. On his CV? The brilliant Hedwig And The Angry Inch. Again, no timescale here, but it appears to be an active project. Elle Fanning was announced as the lead earlier in the year.

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane is a lovely book, and prior to its publication, it was revealed that the film rights had already been acquired, and a director was attached.

Focus Features is the company that was attached to the film, with the project havinbg been bought by Tom Hanks' production company, Playtone. Joe Wright - who directed Atonement, Hanna, and Anna Karenina amongst others - was said to be attached to direct. That was back in February 2013 though, and there doesn't appear to have been much progress on the project since then. It looks like a case of wait and see for now.

The Graveyard Book

This one seems to be stuck in limbo a bit. The original plan with the film adaptation of The Graveyard Book was that Henry Selick - who brilliantly realised Coraline in stop motion animation - would bring it to the screen. Disney had backed the project, but it put the brakes on it back in 2012.

However, since then, it appeared to come back to life as a live action venture, that was attracting the interest of Ron Howard (Rush, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind). Unfortunately that was back in January 2013, and since then, news on the film has been notable only by its absence. It was never confirmed that Ron Howard was to direct, so we can but assume for the minute that this is languishing in development hell somewhere around Disney HQ.

The Books Of Magic

A project that seems almost permanently stuck in development hell now is an adaptation of Gaiman's comic book miniseries, The Books Of Magic. Plans for a film date back to 1998, when Gaiman himself was attached an executive producer, and Warner Bros had the rights. It would be fair to say that the development process had problems, with both Gaiman and Paul Levitz eventually telling the studio that the screenplay they had developed did not bear much relation to The Books Of Magic anymore.

Back in 2006, Gaiman told Superherohype that he was looking to developing The Books Of Magic into a film or TV series himself, along with writer Matt Greenberg (who'd worked on early scripts for the project). There's been no progress since, sadly.

Interworld

Originally conceived for screen, Gaiman and Michael Reeves eventually put the Interworld story across in book form, where it was then in turn optioned in 2007 by DreamWorks Animation. To the best of our knowledge, it has stayed in development ever since, and it's not one of the many upcoming features that DreamWorks Animation has announced.

Signal To Noise

Not much is known about this one. The graphic novel Signal To Noise was one Gaiman did alongside Dave McKean, and the plan was for McKean to turn it into a feature film. As Gaiman says on his own website, "Neil is only helping here and there with it, reading over Dave's script and helping him get financing." He also confirmed that McKean had planned to direct the film. We've not heard more on it for some time, though.

TELEVISION

American Gods

After a false start with HBO and Cinemax, who let their option on Gaiman’s generously proportioned 2001 fantasy novel expire earlier this year, FremantleMedia came to the rescue of the mooted American Gods TV adaptation, and have since found it a home on US cable channel Starz.

Hannibal showrunner and all-round fantasy and sci-fi maven Bryan Fuller (Star Trek: Voyager, Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me) is co-writing the pilot with Heroes’ Michael Green, in collaboration with Neil Gaiman if the recent cosy Twitter snaps are anything to go by. Late this August, Fuller told Crave: "Right now we are breaking the third episode, and then if it does go, it would start filming sometime mid-to-late 2015 and probably wouldn’t be on anybody’s television until 2016. But that’s cruising along very nicely."

Home to the bloody Spartacus, there’s no fear that American Gods’ strange brew of myth and legend will be neutered on Starz. We await this one in delighted anticipation.

Anansi Boys

Production company Red was announced this February as developing a mini-series adaptation of Anansi Boys for the BBC. There’s been little word on the project since, and no formal announcements about the creative team being assembled for the project, but we’ve heard nothing to suggest that it isn’t in progress.

The story of two brothers who share a fantastic West African heritage, Gaiman published Anansi Boys in 2005.

Good Omens

As well as the below radio adaptation of Good Omens, there were plans for a feature film version, which Terry Gilliam reportedly got close to directing just over a decade ago. Gilliam penned a screenplay with Tony Grisoni, but when the backers went bankrupt, back to development hell it went.

However, earlier this year, Gilliam admitted that "I did talk to Terry Pratchett's people and to Neil about getting it going again". Telling The Playlist that he felt it lent itself to a six-part TV series, with the project once attracting the attention of Johnny Depp and the late Robin Williams. Gilliam confirmed that the script - which Gaiman is reportedly very happy with - is still owned by the receivers, but it's a project he's keen to resurrect if he can. 

RADIO

Good Omens

The wonderful 1990 coming together of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens, is heading to BBC Radio 4. The station were behind 2013's highly successful audio dramatisation of Neverwhere, featuring James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, and Benedict Cumberbatch amongst the cast. Good Omens is being adapted for radio by The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy's Dirk Maggs, in collaboration with Gaiman.

Good Omens will head to the airwaves in December 2014, over six parts set to broadcast across a single week, then on BBC iPlayer Radio, available around the world.

MISSING, PRESUMED DEAD

Chivalry

Gaiman's Smoke And Mirrors short story has actually turned up online in film form as a finals film project by a student at Boston University, which you can see here. However, back in 2002, Harvey Weinstein took out an option on the story, with the idea of writing and directing it himself. It was set to be a short film, but it never, ultimately, happened.

Death: The High Cost Of Living

Warner Bros had been developing this one, potentially as a project for Neil Gaiman to direct himself. Rumours had linked Shia LaBeouf with the male lead, but as Gaiman told Vulturein 2010, "the new powers that be at DC and Warner basically closed everything down." Whilst Gaiman has admitted it may yet come back to life, it doesn't sound like breath-holding is a good idea. Not, er, that it is at the best of times.

Neverwhere

A movie version of the BBC TV series and later novel looked like it might happen five years ago, when a screenplay was put together, and the project was optioned by The Weinstein Company. Given that Gaiman had worked on a Neverwhere screenplay way back in 1999, it suddenly seemed that the film had come back to life. However, the project has since died a death, with no immediate sign of resurrection.      

The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish

A good decade old this project, when Sunbow Entertainment looked to do an animated television adaptation of The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish. Sunbow was seeking financing for the project, and footage was reportedly produced, but it didn't get much further. A shame - the plan had been to mix 2D, 3D and photographic elements, with 2D hand drawn characters on top. Not to be, though. Sob.

Murder Mysteries

This one was adapted by David S. Goyer, who told SciFi Wire back in 2004 that "I think it's the best script I've ever written." He planned to direct the film take on Murder Mysteries, but the project stalled - and has remained stalled - when a studio wouldn't back it. No word has been heard on a MurderMysteries film for a good decade.

Please note: this article does not include released projects, or scripts that Gaiman has written based on other peoples' books.

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