Universal Pictures Acquires Acclaimed Young Adult Novel 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone'

New young adult trilogy author Laini Taylor has had her novel 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' picked up by Universal Pictures after a hotly contested auction that saw four major studios compete for the film rights.

Here's the official press release:

Universal Pictures announced this week that it has acquired the rights to the fantasy young adult novel Daughter of Smoke and Bone written by Laini Taylor. Universal won a hotly contested auction involving four major studios and a top independent production company. The book was published this September and is the first in a trilogy. Universal’s Co-Presidents of Production, Peter Cramer and Jeff Kirschenbaum made the announcement.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was released in 33 countries to critical acclaim and has been one of the most well received books of the year. Honours include Amazon.com Top Ten Books of 2011, Publishers Weekly Best Books 2011 and the New York Times Notable Books of 2011.

The novel has also been hailed by UK critics – the Guardian called it, “Remarkable and beautifully written . . . The opening volume of a truly original trilogy.” And the Sunday Telegraph said, “For once the frenzy over a teen novel is justified. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is one of those books that blots out reality, so consumed do you become in its fantasy world”.

At the news of the acquisition, Laini Taylor said, “My goal is always to write stories that readers will want to climb inside of and live in, and which – I hope – will allow them to just lose themselves in the page. It is a hugely thrilling prospect to imagine what Universal and the filmmakers we select might do in translating my world to the screen and giving it a second life in such a grand way. I’m over the moon.”

Jane Putch, Taylor’s manager, said, “Taylor is a stunning visual writer, whose superbly developed characters shape a plot filled with intrigue, epic wars, love, betrayal and “teeth”.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton.

Taylor is managed by her producing partner, Jane Putch of Eyebait Licensing & Management. Attorney Peter Nelson of Nelson David Wetzstein oversaw the acquisition.