Children Of Blood And Bone Author Tomi Adeyemi Didn't Mince Words About The Movie Adaptation

Sometimes authors disavow adaptations of their work. It happens! Stephen King famously hated Stanley Kubrick's movie version of "The Shining," as just one example. So what's going on with Tomi Adeyemi, the author behind the 2018 young adult and romance fantasy novel "Children of Blood and Bone?"

Gina Prince-Bythewood is directing the star-studded adaptation of "Children of Blood and Bone," set to release in January 2027 — and it'll feature stars like Viola Davis, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Regina King, just to name a few. ("The Hunger Games" and "The Hate U Give" star Amandla Stenberg also plays a key role. Put a pin in that.)

As for Adeyemi, she's no longer involved. In a social media video (via Variety), Adeyemi said that she felt she needed to speak out about how harrowing her experience was co-writing the screenplay and working on the movie. As she said:

"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. 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."

Adeyemi went on to say that, in the wake of the trailer's release, she is "still being antagonized behind the scenes" and called the film "the worst thing I have ever had to live through."

This isn't the first inkling of an issue on the set of "Children of Blood and Bone," because weeks before the aforementioned social media video — which Tomi Adeyemi released on July 29 — she went on a since-deleted posting spree directed at Amandla Stenberg. According to Entertainment Weekly, Adeyemi posted a video on TikTok that has since disappeared announcing, "Since someone asked, I have not seen the film, and I will not watch it. It's been painful holding this back from you all. And I'm sorry if any of you thought I didn't care. I will always care about US. More than any glitter." She also posted what appeared to be screenshots of Stenberg attempting to contact her and apparent evidence that Adeyemi has blocked Stenberg's phone number. 

Stenberg's casting stirred up some controversy when it was first announced because she's lighter-skinned, and the story is set in the fictional African country of Orïsha. In a TikTok video that has also since been deleted, Stenberg addressed complaints. After noting that she was deep into training for the film, Stenberg said:

"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."

We don't know precisely what went down between Adeyemi and Stenberg, but the film is continuing on as planned.

In that original video, Tomi Adeyemi seemed to indicate that this is her last word on the matter of the "Children of Blood and Bone" film. "I don't wish to speak on it anymore. I don't know if that's possible," she said. "I understand that I have a public presence, and that this is a global project. It's probably useless posting a video. I really don't know." She continued:

"I don't do things like this, but I also understand that being silent about it is making the pain a lot worse. And even though it feels awful to share this, it's better to share it and have it known and understood before I see a bunch of you for this new book. So please understand, I never want to hear about this project again. I don't have anything to say about the people who made it. I do not care anymore. I'm trying to move on. This video might make it worse, but I don't know how it can be any worse. So I'm just going to share that and let it live."

"Children of Blood and Bone" centers around Zélie Adebola (Thuso Mbedu), a young woman in Orïsha who suffers under the rule of non-magical people called "kosidán" because she's a "divîner," who can eventually become a magical "maji." The film hits theaters on January 15, 2027 ... and I think we can safely assume that, by then, Adeyemi will still want nothing to do with the adaptation. While that's certainly unfortunate, it remains one of the most highly anticipated films of next year, and Adeyemi's next book, "The Siren," is set to publish in September 2026.