After languishing in development for nearly five years, Warner Bros. is finally moving forward with theiranimated comic bookadaptationBone. The studio has brought onKung Fu PandadirectorMark Osborneto take the helm on this project, withDan Linset to produce through his Lin Pictures company. The studio intends to have this project kick off a trilogy of animated features.
The Holllywood Reporter reports thatMark Osbornehas also been tapped to executive produce with Lin Pictures’Mark Bauchand co-write the script withAdam Kline. Warner Bros. first picked up the rights toJeff Smith’s Eisner-winningcomic bookseries in 2008. Here’s whatMark Osbornehad to say about coming aboard this project in a statement.
“Boneis very special and unconventional because it blends elements together that you don’t necessarily expect - soft, little comic characters and epic high stakesfantasy adventure. 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.”
TheBone adaptationhas been in development for several years, withGreekcreatorPatrick Sean Smithset to write the script andP.J. Hogan(My Best Friend’s Wedding) once set to direct. The comics, which were published between 1991 and 2004, follow three cousins from the Bone family, small, bald and human-like creatures with big noses. The trio are run out of their hometown and find themselves in a mysterious valley where they are separated and hunted by other creatures. They are taken in by a girl named Thorn and her grandmother, and they find out that the valley is threatened by an evil force called the Lord of the Locusts.
Animal Logic’sZareh Nalbandianis also producingBonealongsideDan Lin, although no production schedule or release date was given for theanimated adaptationat this time.Mark Osbornemade his feature film debut with the indie dramaDropping Out, which he followed up with directing the live-action sequences for the 2004 live-action/animation hybridThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. He went on to direct the firstKung Fu Pandamovie, which made $631 million worldwide. He also directed fourSpongebob Squarepantsepisodes and this year’s animated adaptationThe Little Prince.
