There is a lot to look forward to with the forthcoming film Children of Blood and Bone, yet controversy surrounding the author and ongoing debates about colorism could threaten to derail this promising project.
When the initial trailer for Children of Blood and Bone dropped, it generated ample excitement for the adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s novel of the same name.
What Is Children of Blood and Bone About?
The movie, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is set to be one of the year’s most anticipated releases when it hits theaters on January 15, 2027. It adapts the first volume in Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, following Zelie (Thuso Mbedu) as she fights to restore magic to a land from which it has been banished by King Saran (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
The project reunites Mbedu with Bythewood and Viola Davis, who plays Mama Agba, along with Lashana Lynch, cast as Zelie’s magic-using mother Jumoke, all of whom previously collaborated on The Woman King. Jumoke is seized by King Saran’s soldiers. While Saran remains adamant about eradicating magic, his son Prince Inan (Damson Idris) does not share his father’s hardline stance on magical powers.
The ensemble also includes Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) as Admiral Kaea; Idris Elba (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw) as Lekan; Regina King (Shirley) as Queen Nehanda; Diaana Babnicova as Folake; Buuky Bakray as Binta; Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give, The Acolyte) as Amari; and Tosin Cole (Supacell) as Tzain.
Overall, the film appears poised to be a resounding hit, yet remarks from Adeyemi in recent days have cooled some of the early enthusiasm.
Tomi Adeyemi Shared Her Experience On The Set
In a five-minute clip posted on Wednesday, Adeyemi described her time on set as “the worst thing I have ever had to live through” and said she “never wants to hear about this project again,” Variety reports.
Adeyemi, who also co-wrote the screenplay, added that she wouldn’t watch the finished film after her on-set experience.
Per Variety:
Adeyemi alleged that she left the “Children of Blood and Bone” set “hyperventilating and sobbing” and that she is “still being antagonized behind the scenes.” Representatives for Adeyemi, Paramount and director Gina Prince-Bythewood did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.
“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.”
Is There A Beef Between Amandla Stenberg & Adeyemi?
She also claims she is being “antagonized” behind the scenes and in a since-deleted TikTok shared a screenshot of a group chat featuring Stenberg writing, “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.”
According to the LA Times, Adeyemi went so far as to block Stenberg, but the actress, who was on the receiving end of criticism from fans of the book over her casting, defended herself.
“I am four months into training for ‘Children of Blood and Bone,’ and I am getting my ass whooped,” Stenberg previously said in a deleted TikTok video last year. “I want everyone to know that this is important to me, and I think about it with every choice that I make. I would never navigate my career blindly, not thinking about my skin tone or the space I occupy. I would never go after a role I didn’t feel was right for me. I want to see all skin tones represented in media. I know that colorism is an insidious system that relentlessly impacts every facet of entertainment.”
Bruh.
We don’t get many epic Black film moments; we just hope all the drama is settled before this movie arrives in theaters.
