Bone Comic Book Adaptation Gets a Writer and Director

Posted by on January 23rd, 2012   Filed under: Books/Comics, Comedy, Fantasy
Source: Hollywood Reporter

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Jeff Smith’s Bone over the years, and yet I still know next to nothing about it. The black-and-white indie comic was published between 1991 and 2004 and spanned some 65 issues. Apparently the series revolves around three white, bald creatures who also happen to be cousins named Phoncible P. “Phoney” Bone, Smiley Bone, and Fone Bone, who are exiled from their hometown of Boneville. It is an epic fantasy series with a lighthearted, comedic tone and was eventually re-released in colour through Scholastic, selling over a million copies. With those kind of numbers, it makes sense that someone would want to turn it into a movie; Warner Brothers acquired the rights back in 2008 and are just now starting to move forward with it. Last week they announced that P.J. Hogan (Peter Pan) will direct the film from a script written by Patrick Sean Smith (Greek).

The news comes courtesy Heat Vision, who note that it is Patrick Sean Smith’s first foray into feature films, although his background with a popular ABC Family show will seemingly be put to good use. In addition to directing the 2003 version of Peter Pan, P.J. Hogan is also known for directing Muriel’s Wedding, My Best Friend’s Wedding and more recently, Confessions of a Shopaholic.

The article does not specify whether the movie is planned as a live-action / CG hybrid or full-on CG, but the production house behind it will be Animal Logic, the same folks who did Happy Feet and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. I assume the plan is also to turn it into at least a trilogy of films, because no one options a property nowadays that doesn’t have franchise potential. So what do you think? Has anyone out there read Bone and, if so, are you looking forward to a big screen adaptation?



  • Falsk

    Well… it was inevitable, I guess.

    I loooved this series as a kid and I’ve always wondered when they’d ruin it as a film, haha. If I remember correctly the series was divided into six books which I guess could be a trilogy? There’s lots of dragons and beasties in it that would be really cool if done in a “Where the Wild Things Are” fashion (practical costumes with CG effects) but I doubt that’ll happen. I feel like the tone of the is going to be lost–silly at times, but with that sort of serious melodrama you see in fantasy stories that needs to be written/directed just right to work…

    I’d love to be pleasantly surprised, but right now it doesn’t seem like this project is in the best of hands. BUMMER!

  • phil

    The rat creatures and their king would be amazing in “where the wild things are” type furry realism.

    Tough to imagine the main Bones though. They will look liek Casper the Friendly Ghost in CG

  • Dustin

    NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! Hayao Miyazaki NEEDS to do this film. It needs his animation! This franchise would do well if Hayao did this. Seriously, when someone with the TV show, (or basically TV trash), Greek, signs on to be apart of this film, you toss the idea. Send it over to Hayao’s way. He’ll bring us something beautiful, that totally lives up to the comic book’s standards. Any other way will end up like Casper.