Children Of Blood And Bone - What We Know So Far
Once upon a time, "Children of Blood and Bone" was the next big thing in the book world. The film rights to author Tomi Adeyemi's book were sold to Fox 2000 Pictures in early 2017, nearly a year before the novel was published (via Deadline). The book landed what Deadline called "one of the biggest debut novel publishing deals ever" for the publication and film rights of her epic YA fantasy tale.
"Children of Blood and Bone" lived up to its pre-release hype. Adeyemi's book debuted at number one on the New York Times Young Adult Bestseller list (via The New York Times). It was also the first selection for the "Tonight Show Summer Reads" series on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2018 (via YouTube). Needless to say, there is definitely an audience for this story.
The journey from page to screen has been slow for "Children of Blood and Bone" following the purchase of the book's film rights four years ago. The potential adaptation has had a long and complicated pre-production journey, including weathering Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Studios in early 2019 (via NPR). Here's what we know so far about the "Children of Blood and Bone" feature film adaptation.
What is the release date for Children of Blood and Bone?
"Children of Blood and Bone" does not have a release date, and it's unclear when the upcoming movie will get one. In February 2019, the project finally seemed to be getting off the ground when Deadline announced "Dope" helmer Rick Famuyiwa would take the director's chair. Then, in March 2019, 20th Century Studios was acquired by Disney, leading to the closing of production companies like Fox 2000 and the cancellation of some projects (per Deadline).
Rather than cancel "Children of Blood and Bone," the adaptation was instead transferred to Lucasfilm in December 2020 (via Twitter), making it the first project not related to the "Star Wars" or "Indiana Jones" franchises in production at the studio. There was additional confirmation at Disney's Investor Day presentation that Lucasfilm would co-produce alongside 20th Century Studios (via Tor.com).
Who is in the Children of Blood and Bone cast?
As of fall 2021, there are no casting announcements for "Children of Blood and Bone" — a sign of just how far the production has to go before it's ready for release. It's similarly unclear whether Rick Famuyiwa remains on board the project. He's directed three episodes of Lucasfilm's award-winning streaming series, "The Mandalorian," which signals his strong connection with the Disney-owned studio and may subsequently indicate he remains tied to the upcoming adaptation.
But Famuyiwa's IMDb page reveals he has plenty on his plate already. In recent years, he's become attached to an adaptation of Charles Burns' graphic novel "Black Hole," a remake of "Uptown Saturday Night" starring Kevin Hart, the martial arts film "Son of Shaolin," and the superhero film "Past Midnight" for Netflix (via The Hollywood Reporter). Some of those announcements are now a few years old, which means Famuyiwa's involvement may change at some point. This is similarly true of his role on "Children of Blood and Bone," a project that is, notably, currently absent from his IMDb profile, unlike the aforementioned projects.
What is the plot of Children of Blood and Bone?
Per Goodreads, "Children of Blood and Bone" follows Zélie, a citizen of the kingdom of Orïsha, a place where the king has put what amounts to an embargo on all magic use. This king is also responsible for the death of Zélie's mother and all the other maji, aka magic users. The publisher's summary (via Macmillan) expands on this, explaining that "now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha [...] yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy."
There's even more source material for the filmmakers to draw on or expand upon in a sequel if the first entry is successful. In 2019, Adeyemi released a sequel, "Children of Virtue and Vengeance" (via Goodreads), which sees Zélie and Amari contend with a new monarch who took the throne in Amari's place. The screenplay for "Children of Blood and Bone" has been tackled both by David Magee, who wrote "Life of Pi" and "Mary Poppins Returns," and "This Is Us" writer and producer Kay Oyegun, per Deadline.