A new fantasy adventure with a stacked cast and creative crew is set to be released. The plot of Children of Blood and Bone says, “In the epic fantasy world of Orïsha, a young woman goes on a quest to reclaim the magic that was violently stolen from her people. She and her brother ally with the daughter and son of the king to fight back against his brutal rule.“ The film was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood from a script that she co-wrote with the book’s author Tomi Adeyemi. It stars Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, Tosin Cole, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Zackary Momoh, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Idris Elba and Viola Davis.
Adeyemi pitched the movie to studios as “Black Panther with magic.” The adaptation has all the elements of a tentpole franchise for Paramount to capitalize on. Unfortunately, things would go sour for Adeyemi during production and she would declare, “I have not seen the film, and I will not watch it.”
Vanity Fair recently went over the drama that transpired behind-the-scenes of Children of Blood and Bone. Tomi Adeyemi’s YA African-fantasy tale was a hot commodity and the talent that was assembled for her movie seemed like the perfect dream team. However, there would be some controversy surrounding the casting of Amandla Stenberg, who portrays an important character, and her look doesn’t match exactly with the book’s description. Stenberg is a lighter-skinned individual from a bi-racial family and Princess Amari is seen as particularly darker-skinned.
Stenberg would respond to critics accusing her of stealing roles by stating, “I would never go after a role that I didn’t feel like was right for me to chase.” She even cited Adeyemi as a supporter in her corner, saying, “Tomi is our executive producer and writer now, and I know that’s what she wants to see. She wants to see a world on screen that is vibrant with different skin tones and different shades.” While Adeyemi did not respond, it was said that she was involved in the casting process and even supported Stenberg at one time. Which is why it threw everyone for a loop when Adeyemi posted a screengrab of a text chain, where she told Stenberg, “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.”
After this screengrab was posted, there was understandably tension between the two on set. However, Adeyemi would later post a response to the critics of her casting, saying, “If you feel brokenhearted by this, I don’t think you’ll feel that way when you’re sitting in the theaters. I promise you this world is beautiful, and we’re all in it.”
Adeyemi would also stay positive by announcing that she’s now part of the screenwriter’s guild with this movie, “Your favorite writer is now an officially accredited screenwriter…and I feel the culmination of a childhood dream being sailed off to a new sea.”
So, what happened behind the scenes? It seems after those pockets of positivity, Adeyemi had started to disown the movie. She would post her declaration of not seeing the movie, but she also wouldn’t judge audiences for going, “I wrote this for us. i fought for us. i’m just laying down my sword and officially separating my name because i can’t keep being hurt and attacked behind the scenes.” There are plenty of cases where authors did not support the film adaptations of their work, but with Adeyemi being so involved and excited, it is especially curious as to how the process soured her on the project.
She would then infamously post a five-minute video outlining everything she’s dealt with and was feeling with the film. “What I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved,” she said in the five-minute video. “It’s a reality that I’ve had to live with for about a year and a half, and everyone involved, at least at the highest level, has been made aware of this reality, and they haven’t done anything to make it better. If anything, they’ve only antagonized me, and I accept that. But I also accept if I don’t say something, I think it’s just going to be worse.“
She continued, alleging that she’s still being antagonized behind the scenes. “I’m not going to speak on what I endured to make it through the young adult trilogy, and I’m not going to speak about everything that I also suffered through or endured to make the adaptation a reality,” Adeyemi said. “I’m actually only going to speak about what happened after I left that set of my own film adaptation, hyperventilating and sobbing. There are many witnesses, so it’s not really a secret. I came back to America and suffered such severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks. I knew it was so bad that I would never ever be able to watch this film, and I made peace with that.“
“And as I am still being antagonized behind the scenes, which is where I hoped all of this would stay,” she said, “it’s become apparent to me that reality needs to at least be made known, so that you guys can understand how this film, which I worked on to make it a little better for us to be alive, is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through.“
Sources have revealed that Adeyemi has also hopped from agency to agency after all this. She initially signed with ICM, then moved on to WME, and finally settled at CAA. A Hollywood insider pointed out, “There must be something [going on] because she’s burned every bridge.” And another insider pointed out the misfortune of Adeyemi’s current standing, “It’s so sad because she has the platform that basically nobody else has at this point.”
Children of Blood and Bone will be released in theaters on January 15, 2027.