Disney Might Have Just Screwed Up Big Time by Letting Go of the Rights to This Highly Anticipated Fantasy Adaptation

While Disney might be known for its live-action remakes and 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 division passed on the Harry Potter books, and missed out on what became a cultural phenomenon. The Power Rangers franchise turned 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, is losing the film rights to Children of Blood and Bone to Paramount. Not only is A Children of Blood and Bone based on a highly acclaimed young adult novel, but it's also assembled an all-star cast and a talented director in Gina 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 Adeyemi wrote a tale unlike other young adult novels when Children of Blood and Bone debuted 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 genre earned it rave reviews and led to two sequels, Children of Virtue and Vengeance and Children of Anguish and Anarchy. But even before publication, Children of Blood and Bone was optioned by Fox 2000 Pictures, with Rick Famuyiwa slated to direct. The Disney-Fox merger eventually led to Lucasfilm boarding Children of Blood and Bone, but eventually, the rights lapsed and Paramount stepped in after a hefty bidding war. There's another reason Children of Blood and Bone never 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 why Children of Blood and Bone never got far at Lucasfilm was that the studio chose to "refocus" its efforts on Star Wars according to The Hollywood Reporter. Adeyemi didn't feel satisfied with Lucasfilm's progress — or lack thereof — in developing Children 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 Lucasfilm has grown far too dependent on Star Wars, and needs to break out of the box. While Star Wars is arguably Lucasfilm's crown jewel, it has other franchises it should expand upon. Willow was a major example of this, as it expanded the world of its titular film right before its unjust cancelation. There is also the immensely underrated Red Tails, which was a passion project George Lucas worked on for years.

Children of Blood and Bone had 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 back Robert Downey Jr. for Avengers: Doomsday. But once upon a time, those franchises weren't a tried and true thing; filmmakers took a chance and it paid off.

Two Franchises Prove That 'Children of Blood and Bone' Could Have Worked At Disney

While Disney dragged its feet on developing Children of Blood and Bone, two franchises prove that it could have been a surefire hit: the Black Panther films at Marvel Studios and Disney+'s Percy 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 was one of the biggest draws for Disney+ outside Marvel or Star Wars. Tomi Adeyemi even referred to Children of Blood and Bone as "Black Panther with magic," further highlighting how Black Panther laid the groundwork for other African-inspired stories in film and television. In losing the rights to Children 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 Bone is currently slated to arrive in theaters on January 15, 2027.