Why It Let The Rights To Children Of Blood & Bone Go

Disney initially held the rights to Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood & Bone, however the firm let the prospect to provide this attainable massive fantasy film franchise go after a number of years. In line with creator and screenwriter Tomi Adeyemi, filming for Children of Blood & Bone has finally started. Primarily based on Adeyemi’s young adult fantasy book series, Youngsters of Blood & Bone is the primary installment within the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, which follows Zélie’s struggle to carry again magic and free her individuals from Orïsha’s oppression.

There are a number of reasons why Children of Blood & Bone is the most exciting fantasy project in development, starting from the franchise potential to the compelling Western African-inspired fantastical world-building. Contemplating all of the hype surrounding this adaptation, it’s stunning that Disney was prepared to surrender the rights to Youngsters of Blood & Bone. Nevertheless, there’s an evidence of why this string of occasions occurred, and now, Paramount will distribute Youngsters of Blood & Bone after the corporate acquired it as soon as Disney relinquished the rights.

Lucasfilm Let The Rights To Youngsters Of Blood & Bone Lapse After Sitting On It For Years

Lucasfilm By no means Progressed With Their Adaptation Of Youngsters Of Blood & Bone

The difference of Tomi Adeyemi’s Youngsters of Blood & Bone has been within the making for a very long time. Initially, Fox 2000 would have launched the movie, and the studio even employed Rick Famuyiwa to direct Children of Blood & Bone. Nevertheless, Fox 2000 shut down once Disney bought 21st Century Fox, and Disney took over manufacturing of this film. In December 2020, Disney made a stunning announcement: Lucasfilm would now develop the adaptation of Children of Blood & Bone.

The event was surprising as a result of Lucasfilm is famend for Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and Disney doesn’t notably use this studio firm for different massive blockbuster franchises. Nevertheless, this announcement was a part of a much bigger plan to develop Lucasfilm, and Youngsters of Blood & Bone was the film that will kickstart the leap into this growth. Sadly, many points arose with Disney on the helm of the variation, and ultimately, the company let go of the rights to Youngsters of Blood & Bone.

Why Disney Let The Rights To Youngsters Of Blood & Bone Go

Lucasfilm Is Extra Invested In Star Wars

There are literally a number of apparent causes as to why Disney ultimately relinquished the rights to the Youngsters of Blood & Bone adaptation. For one, Lucasfilm has all the time prioritized Star Wars, its most well-known franchise comprising many tasks. In the previous few years alone, Star Wars has seen an abundance of TV reveals, together with The Mandalorian, Andor, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew. Moreover, Star Wars has several upcoming movies, together with a brand new Jedi Order movie, a Daybreak of the Jedi film, and The Mandalorian & Grogu.

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With Lucasfilm’s precedence being Star Wars, adopted by Indiana Jones, it is smart that the manufacturing of Youngsters of Blood & Bone stalled. Nevertheless, Lucasfilm’s priorities will not be the one cause Children of Blood & Bone didn’t work out at Disney. In line with The Hollywood Reporter, Tomi Adeyemi by no means noticed eye to eye with Lucasfilm. The creator insisted on writing the script for the Youngsters of Blood & Bone film, one thing Lucasfilm was unwilling to permit. These artistic variations additionally contributed to Disney passing on the rights to Youngsters of Blood & Bone, resulting in a brand new bidding warfare.

How Paramount Acquired Youngsters Of Blood & Bone After Disney Misplaced The Rights

Paramount Received A Bidding Battle

As soon as Disney’s rights to Youngsters of Blood & Bone expired towards the top of 2021, a brand new bidding warfare commenced between a number of corporations, together with Common, Amazon, and Netflix (through Deadline). This public sale was notably aggressive due to Youngsters of Blood & Bone‘s recognition — the rights to preliminary publication went to Henry Holt after an intense bidding warfare in a seven-figure deal (through Publishers Weekly), and Fox 2000 had bought the film rights earlier than the guide was even revealed. Youngsters of Blood & Bone debuted at primary on The New York Times Finest Sellers’ checklist for Younger Grownup Hardcover.

In January 2022, Paramount Photos secured the rights to Youngsters of Blood & Bone, with Adeyemi because the screenwriter and government producer. Youngsters of Blood & Bone can even be produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen (Temple Hill Leisure), in addition to Karen Rosenfelt (Sunswept Leisure). It’s clear that Paramount Photos was the best studio for this fantasy mission primarily based on Co-President Daria Cercek’s assertion. Cercek listed Youngsters of Blood & Bone as “a phenomenon within the YA world [that] has remodeled each expectation of what world-building fantasy will be.”

In line with insiders at Deadline, Paramount Photos was decided to get the rights to Youngsters of Blood & Bone. Their last supply included artistic management for Adeyemi and a seven-figure deal for writing the film script. Thus, Lucasfilm lost Children of Blood & Bone to Paramount Pictures. Nevertheless, when Paramount Photos secured the rights to Youngsters of Blood & Bone, the event stage started to hurry up, and the film now appears extra thrilling than ever.

Youngsters Of Blood & Bone Is Shaping Up To Be The Subsequent Large Fantasy Film Franchise

Manufacturing Has Formally Begun On Youngsters Of Blood & Bone

As soon as Paramount Photos acquired Youngsters of Blood & Bone, manufacturing sped up dramatically, and most of the dominoes that fell into place show this film will doubtless be the start of the following massive fantasy franchise. In June 2022, Adeyemi took to Instagram for example her exhausting work on the script — she was on her sixth draft inside six months. On December 14, 2023, Deadline introduced that Gina Prince-Bythewood was set to direct Youngsters of Blood & Bone — a powerful particular person to recruit, given Prince-Bythewood’s directorial historical past.

On January 22, 2025, the movie cast of Children of Blood & Bone was announced, which incorporates iconic stars equivalent to Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Regina King, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and extra. Nevertheless, this forged was not met with out backlash. Adeyemi initially implied that the forged would include predominantly Nigerian actors residing in Nigeria. Nevertheless, solely 4 of the ten confirmed actors are Nigerian, and none of them stay in Nigeria. Moreover, there was important backlash concerning Amandla Stenberg’s casting as a result of Amari is described as a darker-skinned and curvier character (through HuffPost).

Regardless, Stenberg defended her casting (through BET), and Adeyemi is standing by her and the remainder of the forged. On a extra constructive notice, Adeyemi confirmed on February 17, 2025, that filming had formally begun for Youngsters of Blood & Bone. Regardless of the casting points, Adeyemi has promised extra alternatives for Nigerian actors, and the variation nonetheless appears to be like promising. All issues thought of, it is a relief that Disney lost the rights to Children of Blood & Bone. This occasion cleared the way in which for this film to achieve its final potential.

Supply: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Publishers Weekly, The New York Instances, Instagram, HuffPost, BET

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Children of Blood and Bone

Launch Date

January 15, 2027

Director

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writers

Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tomi Adeyemi

Producers

Reggie Rock Bythewood, Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt, Marty Bowen