Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-1916997-20150929051732/@comment-1916997-20171224004813

AnnaSefalik wrote: The rights to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Kesey's 1962 novel about rebellion in a mental hospital, were acquired by Kirk Douglas soon after publication as a vehicle in which he planned to return to the Broadway stage. When Douglas discovered that Wasserman had also tried to buy the rights, he hired him to write the play, agreeing that Wasserman should retain all rights to his dramatization while Douglas retained screen rights to the novel.

So, if Disney?ABC had ever wanted to make a story based on it, they'd need to get the rightsfrom Kirk Douglas.

The characters of Nurse Ratched/Severe nurse and the janitor (Chief Broom) are a sight gag/Easter egg, for the amusement of fans and/or the writers. They never were and never will be part of OUAT canon--nor should they be. Well, the characters are credited as Nurse Ratched and Chief, and Henry even called the operation at the end of Season 6 Operation Cuckoo's Nest, so obviously they were able to obtain or work around the right's issue.