Nimona Movie Cancelled by Disney Less Than a Year Before Release

Fans of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power creator Noelle Stevenson and her original comics were saddened today when news came that Disney is shutting down the former 20th Century Fox animation studio Blue Sky and with it cancelling their feature film adaptation of Stevenson’s Nimona. The movie was less than a year away and had been in development since around 2015, with a release date already scheduled for release on January 14th of 2022. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit, sources indicated that the movie was “about 75% complete” and theorized that perhaps another studio could step in and finish the project.

In a tweet, Stevenson reacted to the news writing: “Sad day. Thanks for the well wishes, and sending so much love to everyone at Blue Sky. Forever grateful for all the care and joy you poured into Nimona.” Collaborator Pamela Ribon, who previously penned the script for Ralph Breaks the Internet and worked on Moana, also tweeted: “Blue Sky was filled with funny, talented, passionate, creative artists who welcomed you in as family. I’m so sad you won’t get to see NIMONA. We were doing something pretty great.”

This marks the latest project that was in development at Fox or one of its subsidiaries that had fans excited and was subsequently cancelled by Disney. Similarly the feature film adaptation of Mouse Guard was also axed by Disney with series creator David Petersen tweeting his sympathies toward Stevenson upon the news of Nimona’s cancellation, writing: “I’m so sorry, Noelle. When the plug was pulled on Mouse Guard, I felt crushed and lost for a while. Nimona & the mice deserved better.”

For those unfamiliar with Nimona, the title began as a webcomic by Stevenson and even served as her senior thesis in art school and was eventually collected into a graphic novel in 2015. The official synopsis for the comic reads:

“Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are. But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.”