Disney initially held the rights to Tomi Adeyemi’sChildren of Blood & Bone, but the company let the chance to produce this possible big fantasy movie franchise go after several years. According to author and screenwriter Tomi Adeyemi,filming forChildren of Blood & Bonehas finally started. Based on Adeyemi’syoung adult fantasy book series,Children of Blood & Boneis the first installment in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, which follows Zélie’s fight to bring back magic and free her people from Orïsha’s oppression.
There are severalreasons whyChildren of Blood & Boneis the most exciting fantasy project in development, ranging from the franchise potential to the compelling Western African-inspired fantastical world-building. Considering all the hype surrounding this adaptation,it is surprising that Disney was willing to give up the rights toChildren of Blood & Bone. However, there is an explanation of why this string of events occurred, and now, Paramount will distributeChildren of Blood & Boneafter the company acquired it once Disney relinquished the rights.
Lucasfilm Let The Rights To Children Of Blood & Bone Lapse After Sitting On It For Years
Lucasfilm Never Progressed With Their Adaptation Of Children Of Blood & Bone
The adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’sChildren of Blood & Bonehas been in the making for a long time. Initially, Fox 2000 would have released the film, and the studio even hiredRick Famuyiwa to directChildren of Blood & Bone. However,Fox 2000 shut down once Disney bought 21st Century Fox, and Disney took over production of this movie. In December 2020, Disney made a surprising announcement:Lucasfilm would now develop the adaptation ofChildren of Blood & Bone.
The development was shocking because Lucasfilm is renowned forStar WarsandIndiana Jones, and Disney does not particularly use this studio company for other big blockbuster franchises. However,this announcement was part of a bigger plan to expand Lucasfilm, andChildren of Blood & Bonewas the movie that would kickstart the leapinto this expansion. Unfortunately, many issues arose with Disney at the helm of the adaptation, and eventually, the corporation let go of the rights toChildren of Blood & Bone.
Why Disney Let The Rights To Children Of Blood & Bone Go
Lucasfilm Is More Invested In Star Wars
There are actually several obvious reasons as to why Disney eventually relinquished the rights to theChildren of Blood & Boneadaptation. For one, Lucasfilm has always prioritizedStar Wars,its most famous franchise comprising many projects. In the last few years alone,Star Warshas seen an abundance of TV shows, includingThe Mandalorian, Andor, The Acolyte, andSkeleton Crew. Furthermore,Star Warshas several upcoming movies, including a newJedi Orderfilm, aDawn of the Jedimovie, andThe Mandalorian & Grogu.
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With Lucasfilm’s priority beingStar Wars, followed byIndiana Jones, it makes sense that the production ofChildren of Blood & Bonestalled. However, Lucasfilm’s priorities are not the only reasonChildren of Blood & Bonedid not work out at Disney. According toThe Hollywood Reporter,Tomi Adeyemi never saw eye to eye with Lucasfilm. The author insisted on writing the script for theChildren of Blood & Bonemovie, something Lucasfilm was unwilling to allow. These creative differences also contributed to Disney passing on the rights toChildren of Blood & Bone, leading to a new bidding war.
How Paramount Acquired Children Of Blood & Bone After Disney Lost The Rights
Paramount Won A Bidding War
Once Disney’s rights toChildren of Blood & Boneexpired toward the end of 2021, a new bidding war commenced between multiple companies, including Universal, Amazon, and Netflix (viaDeadline).This auction was particularly competitive because ofChildren of Blood & Bone’s popularity— the rights to initial publication went to Henry Holt after an intense bidding war in a seven-figure deal (viaPublishers Weekly), and Fox 2000 had purchased the movie rights before the book was even published.Children of Blood & Bonedebuted at number one onThe New York TimesBest Sellers' list for Young Adult Hardcover.
In January 2022, Paramount Pictures secured the rights toChildren of Blood & Bone, with Adeyemi as the screenwriter and executive producer.Children of Blood & Bonewill also be produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen (Temple Hill Entertainment), as well as Karen Rosenfelt (Sunswept Entertainment). It is clear that Paramount Pictures was the right studio for this fantasy project based on Co-President Daria Cercek’s statement. Cercek listedChildren of Blood & Boneas “a phenomenon in the YA world [that] has transformed every expectation of what world-building fantasy can be.”
Paramount Pictures' final offer included creative control for Adeyemi and a seven-figure deal for writing the movie script.
According to insiders atDeadline, Paramount Pictures was determined to get the rights toChildren of Blood & Bone. Their final offer included creative control for Adeyemi and a seven-figure deal for writing the movie script. Thus,Lucasfilm lostChildren of Blood & Boneto Paramount Pictures. However, when Paramount Pictures secured the rights toChildren of Blood & Bone, the development stage began to speed up, and the movie now seems more exciting than ever.
Children Of Blood & Bone Is Shaping Up To Be The Next Big Fantasy Movie Franchise
Production Has Officially Begun On Children Of Blood & Bone
Once Paramount Pictures acquiredChildren of Blood & Bone, production sped up dramatically, and many of the dominoes that fell into place prove this movie will likely be the beginning of the next big fantasy franchise. In June 2022, Adeyemi took toInstagramto illustrate her hard work on the script — she was on her sixth draft within six months. On July 13, 2025,Deadlineannounced thatGina Prince-Bythewood was set to directChildren of Blood & Bone— an impressive person to recruit, given Prince-Bythewood’s directorial history.
Bukky Bakray (Unconfirmed)
Binta
On August 05, 2025,the movie cast ofChildren of Blood & Bonewas announced, which includes iconic stars such as Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Regina King, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and more. However, this cast was not met without backlash.Adeyemi initially implied that the cast would consist of predominantly Nigerian actorsliving in Nigeria. However, only four of the 10 confirmed actors are Nigerian, and none of them live in Nigeria. Furthermore, there was significant backlash regarding Amandla Stenberg’s casting because Amari is described as a darker-skinned and curvier character (viaHuffPost).
Regardless, Stenberg defended her casting (viaBET), and Adeyemi is standing by her and the rest of the cast. On a more positive note, Adeyemi confirmed on Jul 03, 2025, that filming had officially begun forChildren of Blood & Bone. Despite the casting issues, Adeyemi has promised more opportunities for Nigerian actors, and the adaptation still looks promising. All things considered,it is a relief that Disney lost the rights toChildren of Blood & Bone. This event cleared the way for this movie to reach its ultimate potential.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Publishers Weekly, The New York Times, Instagram, HuffPost, BET
