The Graveyard Book is one of my favorite pieces of fiction by Neil Gaiman. He is a killer author who has written some killer books (Anasi Boys, American Gods, Star Dust) and comic books (Sandman, The Eternals, Marvel 1602) over his illustrious career. But reason why I love The Graveyard Book so much is because it is for kids... but Gaiman doesn't dumb things down and make them soft for the kiddies. nope, this book STARTS with a brutal murder of an entire family by a calculating killer, and the escape of a little infant named Bod from said killer. Bod was the target, and the wandering infant finds refuge in local Graveyard where he is taken in by two ghosts. They raise Bod, and the book chronicles his growing up among the dead bodies, ghouls, ghosts, and monsters that occupy the graveyard. It is so great, yet it maintains the creepiness and scary level of horror that Gaiman is known for. Last year Henry Selleck (Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas) was set to bring the book to the big screen via a stop motion film in collaboration with Disney. But Selleck has parted ways with The Mouse House, so the movie has been spinning in developmental hell. But now Disney is announcing they are moving forward with a LIVE ACTION version of the book directed by Ron Howard! Ron Fucking Howard... WOW! This is probably the best news I can ever ask for as a fan of the book. I love Howard's work, especially his work with family/teen subject matter. This is great news. I acn't wait to see how this plays out. Akiva Goldsman is probably going to re-write the screenplay, and whenever these two get together magic usually happens. If you haven't read the book, pick it up now. And also check out a short animated book trailer narrated by Gaiman himself after the jump...
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