WhileDisneymight be known for itslive-action remakesand major franchises like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the House of Mouse has seen its share of franchises slip through its fingers. Disney’s publishing divisionpassed on the Harry Potter books, and missed out on what became a cultural phenomenon. ThePower Rangers franchiseturned out some surprisingly great entries under Disney’s umbrella, but Nickelodeon — and by extension, Saban — soon got the rights to the teenagers with attitude back. Disney’s recent franchise fumble, though, islosing the film rights toChildren of Blood and Boneto Paramount. Not only isA Children of Blood and Bonebased on a highly acclaimed young adult novel, but it’s alsoassembled an all-star castand a talented director inGina Prince-Bythewood.But what led to Disney losing the rights to this book series?
‘Children of Blood and Bone’ Ping-Ponged at Disney for Years
Tomi Adeyemiwrote a tale unlike other young adult novels whenChildren of Blood and Bonedebuted in 2018.Zélie Adebola seeks to restore magic to her homeland of Orïsha, which proves to be more difficult than expected since the ruling cast is seeking to wipe out all magic practitioners. The novel’s unique approach to the fantasy genreearned it rave reviewsand led to two sequels,Children of Virtue and VengeanceandChildren of Anguish and Anarchy.But even before publication,Children of Blood and Bonewasoptioned by Fox 2000 Pictures, withRick Famuyiwaslated to direct. The Disney-Fox mergereventually led to Lucasfilm boardingChildren of Blood and Bone, but eventually, the rights lapsed andParamount stepped inafter a hefty bidding war. There’s another reasonChildren of Blood and Bonenever moved forward at Lucasfilm, and it underlines a massive problem at Disney.
Lucasfilm Could Have Used a Movie Like ‘Children of Blood and Bone’
The major reason whyChildren of Blood and Bonenever got far at Lucasfilm was that the studio chose to “refocus” its efforts onStar Warsaccording toThe Hollywood Reporter.Adeyemi didn’t feel satisfied with Lucasfilm’s progress — or lack thereof — in developingChildren of Blood and Bone, and her request to write the film’s screenplay was denied which finally led to the rights going to Paramount. This only underlines how Lucasfilmhas grown far too dependent onStar Wars, and needs to break out of the box. While Star Warsis arguably Lucasfilm’s crown jewel, it has other franchises it should expand upon.Willowwas a major example of this, as it expanded the world of its titular filmright before its unjust cancelation. There is also the immensely underratedRed Tails, which was a passion projectGeorge Lucasworked on for years.
Children of Blood and Bonehad a rich enough world and characters to stand shoulder to shoulder with Star Wars, and it’s a shame that Lucasfilm didn’t realize that. Lucasfilm’s doubling down on Star Wars also reveals a major issue with Disney — rather than attempting to create something new, the company instead chooses to hyper-focus on certain nostalgic elements such as the numerous live-action remakes or bringing backRobert Downey Jr. forAvengers: Doomsday. But once upon a time, those franchises weren’t a tried and true thing; filmmakers took a chance and it paid off.
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Two Franchises Prove That ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ Could Have Worked At Disney
While Disney dragged its feet on developingChildren of Blood and Bone,two franchises prove that it could have been a surefire hit:theBlack Pantherfilms at Marvel Studios and Disney+‘sPercy Jackson and the Olympians. The former featured a hefty dose of Afrofuturism, in addition to spotlighting African culture, while the latter not only proved that there’s still life left in the YA genre — it wasone of the biggest draws for Disney+outside Marvel or Star Wars. Tomi Adeyemi even referred toChildren of Blood and Boneas “Black Pantherwith magic,” further highlighting howBlack Pantherlaid the groundwork for other African-inspired stories in film and television. In losing the rights toChildren of Blood and Bone, Disney lost out on the chance to expand on a promising fantasy franchise. Paramount, on the other hand, is working overtime to give the novel a blockbuster treatment worthy of other film franchises based on young adult novels.Children of Blood and Boneis currently slated to arrive in theaters on June 08, 2025.
Children of Blood and Bone
