outfrombonevilleJeff Smith’s BONE has been picked up for development by Dan Lin, who is also working on the JUSTICE LEAGUE movie. This paragraph should tell you all you need to know:

Deal is a mid-six-figure option against seven figures for purchase. Property, described as Bugs Bunny meets “The Lord of the Rings,” likely will be developed as a CG toon for a broad family aud, but could turn into a live-action pic, depending on the director it eventually attracts.


Interestingly, BONE was long in development back in the ’90s as a big animated feature at Nickelodeon until Smith pulled the plug because of the changes the studio wanted to make. Since then Smith has been adamant about not wanting to try another film unless he felt it could be true to the book. Has that time come? Interestingly, in the 10 or so years since Bone was last at a studio, the importance of sticking to the spirit of the original as a way to make a successful film has been proven over and over again, from SPIDER-MAN to 300. WATCHMEN aside, it would be hard to make a comic book movie with the creator (especially one as engaged as Smith) sitting on the sidelines.

1 COMMENT

  1. Dude Heidi, six to seven figures. Thats hard to turn down. It is warner bros, they should be able to come up with something good.

  2. I’ve met Smith (he’s from Columbus, like me, and I used to read his pre-Bone strip “Thorn” in the OSU newspaper) and he’s a great guy.

    I have nothing but respect for him regarding his killing the Nickelodeon deal. Rumor had it they wanted to make it a musical (possibly among other changes), because of the traditional thinking that all animated films had to have songs.

    I think the intervening years have been good for the evolution of animated films, and I think now is a better time than ever to get a Bone movie that will be exactly what Jeff Smith wants it to be.

  3. Smith said he was going to *direct* the original Bone.
    We need a Howard the Duck style little person in a costume for this…

  4. I predict this movie will be made. Bone is a very successful property read by millions of school age chldren through the Scholastic book series. I suspect the studio will do what they can to keep Jeff Smith happy, because this series has the potential to be a long running franchise.

  5. I predict this movie will be made. Bone is a very successful property read by millions of school age chldren through the Scholastic book series. I suspect the studio will do what they can to keep Jeff Smith happy, because this series has the potential to be a long running franchise.