‘Christopher Robin’ Director Marc Forster to Direct ‘The Graveyard Book’ Adaptation at Disney

For over a decade, a film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book has been in various stages of development. Now, Disney is finally getting the project off the ground with a familiar director.

According to Deadline, Marc Forster, who directed the underrated live-action Winnie The Pooh film Christopher Robin is on board to helm the film. Forster’s producing partner Renée Wolfe will produce through their 2Dux2 banner along with Gil Netter. Ben Browning is also producing. David Magee was recently tapped to adapt the script. Forster, Wolfe, and Disney reportedly had a wonderful working relationship during Christopher Robin.

Published in 2008, The Graveyard Book traces the story of the boy Nobody “Bod” Owens who is adopted and reared by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered.

At one point during the film’s early development at Disney, the studio had tapped Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas to direct. Even crazier, the film was moved to Pixar, which would have been the company’s first adapted work. Ron Howard was also a director at some point in development.

Gaiman won both the British Carnegie Medal. and the American Newbery Medal recognizing the year’s best children’s books, the first time both named the same work. The Graveyard Book also won the annual Hugo Award for Best Novel from the World Science Fiction Convention and Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book selected by Locus magazine subscribers.