Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel, Hansel & Gretel, is already joining Coraline and Stardust in the author’s growing caboodle of film adaptations, even though the book hasn’t even come out yet. Gaiman and illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti’s piece doesn’t hit shelves until October 28, but producer Juliet Blake has already obtained the feature rights. Blake’s last project was The Hundred-Foot Journey, which she produced with Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.
“For me, retelling Hansel and Gretel was a way of telling an old tale in a way that made it immediate and true, and about us, now,” Gaiman said to Variety. “It reminds us of how paper thin civilization really is. It’s about hunger, and about families.”
Although Hansel & Gretel is a graphic novel, suggesting animation might be the likeliest route, the project is being developed as live-action. The last live-action Hansel & Gretel movie, last year’s Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, has a sequel due in 2016.