The Terry Pratchett Estate has issued a statement regarding the Good Omens graphic novel adaptation, amid allegations of sexual assault against co-author Neil Gaiman. The project, funded by a Kickstarter campaign that raised over £2 million, will proceed without Gaiman receiving any proceeds. Gaiman has denied the allegations made by eight women.
The statement says “Given the project management, production and all communication has always been under the jurisdiction of the estate on behalf of Good Omens at large, this will not fundamentally change the project itself, however we can confirm the Kickstarter and PledgeManager will now fully be an entity run by, and financially connected to, the Terry Pratchett Estate only.”
It goes on to add: “A number of tiers also come with author merchandise and books; we have been working on a system in the back end to remove or swap out particular rewards from tiers, should you wish to continue with the project, but not receive these specific items.”
The statement ends by saying: “Good Omens in all its forms is very special to us, and we know that for many fans the landscape has shifted. We appreciate the sensitivity of this issue, and will be working through all queries in the coming weeks.
“We will continue on our journey with Crowley and Aziraphale, and all of our surrounding plans, in some form. Thank you for being part of the journey with us.”
The statement is signed by The Terry Pratchett Estate (Good Omens HQ). The page from the Good Omens Kickstarter page outlining the changes to the project and ensuing consequences is here.
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I believe a person’s body is their own.
But there is an irony here. Among other things, Gaiman was accused of non-consensual kissing. Not all that long ago, I watched an old episode of a TV game show. The majority of single women the program surveyed wanted men to kiss them without asking permission.
And I’ve had more than one woman irked at me because I wasn’t more physically aggressive.
On another note, I am not a fan of “guilty until proven innocent.” I know someone well whose career was destroyed due to sexual allegations that were later shown to be false.
I wish we could move to where a person could tell someone else what they want and don’t want done with their body, and the hearer would respect that. And that the ancient principle of presumption of innocence would be followed.