Coraline director set to make another film adaptation of a Neil Gaiman work described as “almost a sequel” to that cult classic

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is getting the stop-motion animation treatment

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Coraline director Henry Selick is looking to give Neil Gaiman’s novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane a stop-motion adaptation.

“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 toldVariety, describing the novel as an “almost sequel” to Coraline. The filmmaker is reportedly now shopping the project around “with a honed 35-page treatment and scores of artwork and concept designs.”

The 2013 novel sees an unnamed protagonist return to his hometown for a funeral and begin recounting events that occurred some 40 years earlier. An illustrated version of the book was published in 2019. A play adaptation opened the same year on London’s West End, and reopened for a limited run in 2023.

The news comes ahead of Coraline’s special 15th-anniversary re-release, in which UK residents can see a remastered 3D or 2D version in theaters this August. Selick directed the pic, an adaptation of Gaiman’s novella of the same name, in 2009. The movie follows an 11-year-old named Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who discovers an alternate universe behind a secret door in her new home. (It gave me nightmares about buttons and sewing needles for years.)

Coraline will return to UK cinemas for a limited engagement on August 15. For non-UK residents, the movie is streaming now on Prime Video. For more, check out our list of the most excitingupcoming moviesin 2024 and beyond.

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Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent’s Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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