Back in December 2020, Lucasfilm revealed a whole slate of new projects, mostly from the Star Wars universe. Included in that mix was an adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone, a young adult fantasy novel by Tomi Adeyemi. The studio saw this as a way to diversify itself outside of Star Wars, but now it seems the project is no more, at least at Lucasfilm.
What’s Happening:
- According to The Hollywood Reporter, Children of Blood and Bone was positioned to be Lucasfilm’s big IP and story universe outside of Star Wars. But after several years of development, the planned book trilogy has found itself a new home over at Paramount.
- Adeyemi’s book was initially picked up by Fox 2000 in 2017, the literary-minded label of 20th Century Fox Studios, with Temple Hill’s Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen and Sunswept Entertainment’s Karen Rosenfelt attached to produce.
- Then when Fox was acquired by Disney, the project made its way to Lucasfilm, thanks to Kathleen Kennedy (the head of the studio) taking an interest in it.
- Rick Famuyiwa, a director on The Mandalorian, was also attached to the film.
- Sources of The Hollywood Reporter contend that Lucasfilm brass let development languish as the studio turned its focus to its rapidly growing Star Wars series slate.
- Adeyemi became unhappy with the pace of the project. She made the case that she should be the one writing the script, a request Lucasfilm was unwilling to accommodate.
- Now in development at Paramount with its original producers, Adeyemi has what she had asked for: creative influence and the right to pen the screenplay.