For nearly a decade, Children of Blood and Bone has been one of the defining works of modern Black fantasy. It launched Nigerian-American author Tomi Adeyemi into literary stardom, sparked a Hollywood bidding war, and promised something audiences had rarely seen at blockbuster scale: an epic fantasy rooted unapologetically in West African mythology rather than medieval Europe.
Now, just months before the film reaches cinemas, its creator has publicly walked away.
Image Credit: Jason Mendez/Getty Images
In a series of passionate social media posts, Tomi Adeyemi said she “will not watch” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s adaptation of her fantasy bestseller. Prince-Bythewood, who previously directed the acclaimed film The Woman King, assembled an all-star cast that includes Amandla Stenberg, Thuso Mbedu, Tosin Cole, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Regina King, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Viola Davis for the now publicly denounced adaptation.
Among the posts was a screenshot of a message in which the author tells someone—widely assumed by many online to be Amandla Stenberg—“Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.” Adeyemi has not publicly identified the recipient of the message, and the reasons behind their apparent fallout remain unclear.
