Henry Selick Developing ‘Coraline’ Companion Piece ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ With Neil Gaiman, Will Revive ‘The Shadow King’ as Graphic Novel

variety.com:

Ben Croll Stop-motion giant Henry Selick is back circling the Neil Gaiman adaptation “The Ocean at the End of the Lane,” confirming ongoing work with the English author alongside plans to make the project his next feature.

The filmmaker holds Gaiman’s 2013 novel in high esteem – calling the book Gaiman’s crowning achievement – and envisions the film as a companion piece to the duo’s modern classic “Coraline,” describing the development title as “almost a sequel.” “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,” he tells Variety.

With a honed 35-page treatment and scores of artwork and concept designs, Selick is now shopping the project around, hinting at interest from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” studio ShadowMachine, while praising “Coraline” studio Laika as home to “the best talent and the best resources,” after labeling Laika CEO Travis Knight a “genius” at an Annecy Animation Festival panel on Tuesday.

Selick also hopes to revive his shuttered project “The Shadow King,” revealing plans to initially release his original vision as a graphic novel in order to spur interest and act as a proof-of-concept for an eventual film Selick might offer to another director.