Jeff Smith’s Bone is a comic book masterpiece. It’s a perfect blend of charm, character, fantasy and adventure. Some call it Lord of the Rings for kids, I just call it brilliant. It’s surprising that a film adaptation has never been made. There have been attempts but nothing that’s come close to a final product. But that’s changing. It seems that Bone has finally found a director.
THR says that Kung Fu Panda and The Little Prince director Mark Osborne has signed on to direct a Bone animated adaptation for Warner Bros. Osborne is currently flying high on the critical success of Prince, which might nab him another Oscar nomination (he landed nominations for his short film More and Panda).
For the poor souls who haven’t read Bone, we’ll sum it up briefly: Drawn in a playful, classic comic style, Smith’s story follows the Bone cousins — Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone — as they wander into larger-than-life adventure and danger after being banished from their hometown. The series was published from 1991 to 2004 and gathered accolade after accolade. In fact, it’s hard to find people who don’t like Bone. There is so much to love: slapstick comedy, pure fantasy, memorable characters and action. It’s no surprise that some have called Bone one of the greatest comic book series of all time.
What Took the Bone Movie So Long?
So why hasn’t Bone made the leap to the silver screen? There have been attempts to bring Smith’s vision to life before. Nickelodeon infamously tried to make a movie based on the books but things fell apart as production was taking off. Smith has said that Nickelodeon didn’t truly understand the material and were trying to insert pop star cameos and unneeded songs into the story. Perhaps it’s for the best that it didn’t work out. Years later director P.J. Hogan signed up to helm the film but the project stalled. It’s now Osborne’s turn to give it a shot.
It seems like Mark Osborne is the right guy to handle this property. His previous work proves that he can handle action, comedy and fun, lovable characters with ease. A two-time Oscar nominee tackling one of the most beloved comics of all time? Fans of Bone should be very excited.