Mark Osborne, the man who directed The Little Prince (brilliant adaption that was banished to Netflix in the US), has been given a new assignment: to adapt Bone, Jeff Smith’s epic graphic novel, into a trilogy of animated films.
“Bone is very special and unconventional because it blends elements together that you don’t necessarily expect, soft, little comic characters and epic high-stakes fantasy adventure,” Osborne said to THR. “To carry this into the cinematic realm presents both an opportunity to represent what readers of all ages have loved about the series, while pushing animated storytelling into exciting and different areas.”
Here’s the warning, however: there have been several announcements of a “Bone” movie in the past. The project has been in development hell for eons, mainly because there are some stupid, stupid rat creatures in executive offices. Smith himself has told the story of his first attempt to sell his comic as a picture, to Viacom who wanted to produce it under their Nickelodeon Movies brand.
Being the style at the time to just give you one film, Paramount wanted to squish the entire story into 90 or so minutes. This was fine with Smith, who wasn’t expecting to get more. But then the studio kept suggesting little “changes” like giving Fone Bone magic gloves that let him control plants. Smith ended up taking his book and running out the door. Ever since then, Bone movies have been repeatedly announced, with silence following afterward.
What I’m telling you is, don’t get your hopes up. The time to believe we’re getting Bone on the big screen is when we see the first trailer.
Help Support PopGeeks
PopGeeks runs on reader support. We are not backed by corporate media, driven by algorithms, or overloaded with invasive ads. We are an independently run site created by fans, for fans, and we cover what we love: movies, TV, video games, comics, and tabletop RPGs.
Support PopGeeks for just $1/month and help keep our content free and ad-light. Your support covers hosting, pays our writers, and helps sustain independent coverage of movies, games, TV, and geek culture. Every dollar makes a difference.
This is a voluntary support payment. No physical goods or exclusive digital content are provided. PopGeeks content remains freely accessible to all. Sales tax does not apply.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping PopGeeks stay fan-run, freely accessible, and fully independent.
Will believe it when I see it. Bone's been developed on and off as a movie forever and never materialized.