The Fates of The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Shadow King Hang in the Balance

Just two months after the thrilling news that Coraline filmmaker Henry Selick was set to bring Neil Gaiman’s enchanting tale, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, to the big screen, the director is now painting a picture of uncertainty. At the time, Selick had expressed his hope to make it his next film, provided he could secure studio backing. But with the recent allegations against Gaiman, it’s possible that the project’s future is now shrouded in doubt. Back in June, Selick shared his 35-page treatment and concept art with studios, naming ShadowMachine (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio) and Laika (Coraline) as potential partners. However, in a recent interview with GamesRadar+, Selick revealed that things aren’t looking promising.

“It’s something I love and have danced around,” Selick said. “It’s almost come together a few times. I would hope that it might still come together, but I have no predictions.”

In related news, Selick also has plans to revive The Shadow King, a project that’s been in development limbo for years. Although he has some finalized footage from his time working on it with Pixar, his current strategy is to develop it as a graphic novel, with the hope of selling it as an adaptation.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane originally debuted in 2013, following a man who returns to his hometown for the first time in years, only to reflect on his childhood and the fantastical stories of a local girl who claimed the pond behind her house was an ocean. The trip home brings a flood of forgotten or repressed memories.

Selick views the movie as “almost a sequel” to Coraline, and believes The Ocean at the End of the Lane to be some of Gaiman’s finest writing.

“Instead of a child going to this other world with a monstrous mother, it’s a monstrous mother who comes into our world to wreak havoc on a kid’s life,” Selick explained to Variety.

Gaiman currently has Dead Boy Detectives and The Sandman, both adaptations of Vertigo comics he wrote, in production at Netflix, while Good Omens, co-written with Terry Pratchett, streams on Prime Video.