Tomi Adeyimi is still facing a lot of personal turmoil over Children of Blood and Bone. Adeyimi’s 2018 young adult fantasy novel not only became the talk of the town with its pre-emptive film rights sales and record-setting publishing deal, but finally began moving forward at Paramount Pictures with The Woman King’s Gina Prince-Bythewood directing. Children of Blood and Bone began sparking controversy during its casting process with the additions of Amandla Stenberg and Thuso Mbedu, prompting accusations of colorism, and the author herself pulling her support. Nearly a month after the author first took to social media to renounce her support for the film, Adeyimi has taken to TikTok to share a new post regarding the Children of Blood and Bone adaptation. The author began by stating that what she was sharing is “a reality that I’ve had to live with for about a year and a half,” decrying studio executives for not only overlooking the behind-the-scenes tensions between her and those on the film, but also stating that she is “still being antagonized behind the scenes.” The author further doubled down on her denouncement of the movie, describing the experience as “the worst thing I’ve ever had to live through,” and asking fans of hers to not ask further about the film as she gears up for the tour for her next book, the paranormal mystery novel The Siren. See Adeyimi’s full quote and post below:
Tomi Adeyimi: I’m gonna post this so that, ideally, I don’t have to talk about this anymore. What I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved. It’s a reality that I’ve had to live with for about a year and a half, and everyone involved, at least at the highest level, has been made aware of this reality, and they haven’t done anything to make it better. If anything, they’ve only antagonized me, and I accept that, but I also accept that if I don’t say something, I think it’s just going to be worse.
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 were 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, and I knew it was so bad that I would never ever be able to watch this film. I made peace with that, but as it is being marketed, and as I am still being antagonized behind the scenes — which is where I hoped all of this would stay — it’s become apparent to me that that reality needs to at least be made known so that you guys can understand how this film, which I worked on to make it a little better to be alive, is also the worst thing that I have ever had to live through.
And I don’t wish to speak on it anymore. I don’t know if that’s possible. I understand that I have a public presence, and that this is a global project. It’s probably useless posting a video, I don’t know, I don’t usually 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 be known and understood before I see a bunch of you for this new book [tour].
So, please understand that 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 gonna share that and let it live.

Adeyimi’s latest statement regarding the Children of Blood and Bone movie does largely fall in line with her previous post, in which she vaguely noted there was a reason she was not making any major posts about the adaptation and encouraged her fans to purchase the trilogy from “a local independent children’s bookstore.” Combined with her new comments, it does seem possible that the rights are now in a position in which new profits will go to Paramount Pictures or another major publisher instead of her. The author’s indication that she left the Children of Blood and Bone set in an emotional state does notably come in stark contrast to Prince-Bythewood’s recent comments on Adeyimi’s involvement in the film. The Emmy nominee, who also revised the script originally written by Adeyimi, said that she and the author were “completely aligned” on the vision for the movie and that Adeyimi was “enthralled” by what she saw in both development and on set.

Despite her request to the contrary, that Adeyimi has a tour coming up for her next novel likely means that the author will still be subject to more questions about the Children of Blood and Bone film. Additionally, with six months still to go until the Paramount movie’s release on January 15, she may start to find enough support from her fanbase to be encouraged to speak out further on specifics regarding her issues with the production.

The other big question over the next few months is whether all the controversy will hurt Children of Blood and Bone’s chances at the box office. January is often known as a tricky month for new releases at the box office, and considering Adeyimi has two follow-up novels to her 2018 bestseller, the drama could negatively impact Prince-Bythewood and her cast’s chances at telling the full Legacy of Orïsha trilogy.

Release Date

January 15, 2027

Director

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writers

Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tomi Adeyemi