Already the subject of one development reshuffle when it moved to Lucasfilm following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, an adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s YA fantasy Children of Blood and Bone has once again changed hands, this time finding a home at Paramount.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Children of Blood and Bone, which was announced with much fanfare as an important project amongst more recognisable IP such Star Wars and Indiana Jones at their 2020 Disney Investor Day, languished “as the studio turned its focus to its rapidly growing Star Wars series slate”.
Rick Famuyiwa, who went on to direct episodes of The Mandalorian, was attached to the film, but then the project stalled, with Adeyemi growing disenchanted with the pace of the process, she apparently made the case that she should be the one writing the script, a request that sources say Lucasfilm were unwilling to accommodate, and then Children of Blood and Bone was put into turnaround in the fall of 2021.
Paramount landed the film in early January and according to THR have granted Adeyemi the creative control she was seeking from Lucasfilm.
Set in the magic-infused kingdom of Orisha, Children of Blood and Bone follows a young woman named Zelie Adebola who witnesses the death of her mother and other magicians, called “maji,” under the order of a ruthless king. Zelie sets out to restore magic to her land, teaming up with a rogue princess to outwit and outrun a crown prince while avoiding prowling snow “leoponaires” and vengeful spirits that wait in the waters.
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