Deadline reports that Paramount will hedge their fantasy bets on Daughter of Smoke and Bone, an adaptation of the Laini Taylor novel they’re trying to acquire at the moment. Also attracting the attention of a few other studios, the story presents “potential for a big scale, visual effects-driven fantasy film that can connect with a young audience.” (That is, $.)

A sense of familiarity might also have something to do with it; when reading Deadline’s description of the book, you shouldn’t be chastised for getting flashes of so many other failed properties that came and went in the past decade. As they say, the story revolves around “a 17-year old art student who is sent by her awful father on travels across the globe to collect teeth for an unspecified but creepy purpose.” She then comes into contact with and learns of “an angel and revelations about her family that lead her into adventures involving otherworldly beings.” Teenager: check. Bad parents: check. World-spanning adventure that entails something slightly gruesome: check. Mythical creatures: check. Buried secrets coming to light: check.

Hey, the results could be great; Amazon reviews of the novel are quite complimentary, and gaining traction in Hollywood always means something. Be that as it may, it’s the sense of fatigue with fantasy properties that has me so ambivalent about embracing yet another “kid goes on a journey” tale. I understand that such a mentality is unfair to good material that exists out there — and, really, it does exist — but it has to emerge after Bridge to the Lightning Thief, or whatever that thing was called.

Have you read Taylor’s original novel? Does it have the right material for a feature film?