Tomi Adeyemi says she will never let another of her books be adapted. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood describes making this one as "beautiful."
By EEW Magazine Online Editors
Tomi Adeyemi speaks at New York Comic Con on Oct. 19, 2024, in New York City. (Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images for ReedPop)
Tomi Adeyemi built the world of "Children of Blood and Bone" around something she has said readers rarely get to see: Black people doing magic. Her 2018 novel became a bestseller, and she went on to co-write the screenplay for the film version, on which she is also credited as an executive producer. On Nov. 12, Paramount Pictures released a new trailer filled with some of the most celebrated Black actors working today.
The author who dreamed up the kingdom of Orïsha has said she does not plan to watch the finished film. The movie, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, opens in theaters and IMAX on Jan. 15, 2027.
That leaves the studio promoting an African-inspired fantasy epic, led by Black women on screen and behind the camera, without the public support of the woman whose imagination started it.
Thuso Mbedu stars as Zélie Adebola, a young woman on a mission to restore the magic that King Saran, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, stripped from her people. In the trailer, Zélie tells the king he cannot kill an entire people. "You can do whatever you want when you're king," he answers.
Her fight draws in her brother Tzain (Tosin Cole) and the king's own children, Princess Amari (Amandla Stenberg) and Prince Inan (Damson Idris). Viola Davis plays Mama Agba, the mentor who trains Zélie. Cynthia Erivo appears as Admiral Kaea, and Regina King plays Queen Nehanda. Idris Elba and Lashana Lynch also star.
Adeyemi, who is Nigerian American, drew on West African mythology for the novel. It debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times young adult bestseller list and launched her Legacy of Orïsha trilogy.
Tomi Adeyemi at the Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2025. (Photo: River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images)
The magic in Orïsha is spiritual at its root. In the novel, the maji draw their power from gods modeled on the orishas, the deities of the Yoruba religion, and Zélie's quest turns on a ritual to restore that connection. The film's first trailer introduced a clan of maji who summon the souls of the dead.
Christian parents will want to weigh that before buying tickets for their teens.
Her break with the film became public in July. "I have not seen the film, and I will not watch it," she wrote to followers on TikTok. She also shared messages showing a falling-out with Stenberg, whose casting had drawn accusations of colorism online.
Weeks later, Adeyemi called the adaptation "the worst thing I have ever had to live through." She has not publicly detailed what happened. An August Vanity Fair report, citing unnamed sources, traced the strain to a 2025 video in which Stenberg defended the casting and said Adeyemi had wanted the actor in the role.
Adeyemi has told fans her decision is personal. "I do not mind anyone going to watch the film," she added. In a Guardian interview published Sept. 27, she said she still does not plan to watch it and will not allow another of her books to be adapted, TheWrap reported. Vanity Fair made the same point in the headline of its Nov. 2 profile of her: she does not want to talk about the movie.
Prince-Bythewood has kept her public comments on the book. At New York Comic Con in October, she said Adeyemi's pages held everything a great film needs. Asked about the author's statements in an ELLE interview, she said she could speak only to her own experience and described the process as "beautiful."
"Children of Blood and Bone" opens Jan. 15.