Children of Blood and Bone tells the story of Zélie Adebola, a divîner who seeks to restore magic to the oppressed kingdom of Orïsha and topple the tyrannical monarchy that murdered her mother. The story tackles themes of oppression, slavery, and systemic injustice.
A movie version is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters in January 15, 2027, and we finally have an official first look, courtesy of ESSENCE.
This comes in the wake of author Tomi Adeyemi making it clear that she wants nothing to do with Paramount Pictures' big-screen adaptation of her bestselling fantasy novel.
While she stopped short of revealing why, the writer told her social media followers that she has "not seen the film, and I will not watch it." Later, Adeyemi shared screenshots suggesting she'd blocked Children of Blood and Bone star Amandla Stenberg.
Thuso Mbedu leads the cast alongside Damson Idris, Tosin Cole, Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Regina King, Lashana Lynch and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King) directs.
Talking to the site, which made no mention of Adeyemi's decision to distance herself from this take on her young adult hit, the filmmaker reflected on collaborating with the author on Children of Blood and Bone's screenplay. From her perspective, it was a positive experience.
"This is my fourth adaptation and my approach to it is foremost, I want the author to love what we do. We're all here because of what came out of their brain. And so in collaborating with her, it started with the script and she had written the first draft and then I came aboard and took over the draft and wrote my vision. And it's always funny, every single time I do it, it's always the scariest person to show the script to the author."
"But as it has been in the past, she loved it. And then from that point on, I really brought her into the process I think more than I actually have in the past. And just because it was exciting to be able to have this experience, it's a miracle to get any film made, but to get this film made is an absolute true miracle."
"There was just such excitement from her about everything. It was fun to share. And that's getting her thoughts on casting and sharing the production design and the costume and the fights, just everything she loved. And I wanted her to be excited by every element and to be able to have that beautiful collaboration. It meant a lot to me."
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.
You can get a first look at Children of Blood and Bone in the social posts below.