A movie adaptation of the beloved children’s book byNeil Gaiman,The Ocean at the End of the Lane,is now in development. The new movie reunites Gaiman with director Henry Selick, who helmed the 2009 adaptation of Gaiman’s beloved children’s novelCoraline. WhileThe Ocean at the End of the Laneis not connected toCoralinenarratively,Selick is regarding the new project to be the perfect companion piece to the Oscar-nominated stop-motion hit.
PerVariety, Selick is currently doing the rounds to find a production studio to help make the movie a reality.Coralinewas produced by Studio Laika, which Selick described as having “the best talent and the best resources,” to a panel at the Annecy Animation Festival.It is likely thatThe Ocean at the End of the Lanewill also bea stop-motion movie, as Selick has teased interest from ShadowMachine studio, who producedGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchiofor Netflix.
During the pannel, Selick outlined the thematic similarities between the new movie and his previous partnership withCoraline. Selick said:
“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.”
Published in 2013, The Ocean at the End of the Laneis a Locus Award-winning children’s novel written by Neil Gaiman and published by William Morrow and Company. The official synopsis reads:
“It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond this world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed - within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.”
More Neil Gaiman Adaptations Are On the Way
British author Neil Gaiman is one of the most beloved authors in modern fantasy. Starting out in the 1980s with the religious comedyGood Omens, co-written with the late Terry Pratchett, Gaiman has gone on to write lorded novels likeAmerican Gods,Stardust,Neverwhere,How to Talk to Girls at Parties, as well as acclaimed comic books likeThe Sandman, andMarvel 1602.
AlongsideCoraline, many of his stories have alreadybeen adapted into movies and TV shows, includingStardust,American Gods, andTheSandman. Gaiman fans also have a lot to look forward to as there are more adaptations of his work currently being produced.
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One of the most popular series based on his work is Prime Video’sGood Omens, starring David Tennent and Michael Sheen. The series has currently run for two seasons on the streaming service, and a third season is currently being penned by Gaiman, with filming to begin next January.The Sandmanis another major adaptation of Gaiman’s work. The Netflix series has had a long and tumultuous road to completion, asSandmanadaptations have bounced in and out of production hell for years.Season 2 ofThe Sandmanis currently in production. No release date has been announced yet.
Finally, a spin-off from Starz' adaptation ofAmerican Gods,Anansi Boys, is also in the works. The 6-episode miniseries is currently being produced by Prime Video, and is expected to be released on June 08, 2025.
