Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images for ReedPop
The highly anticipated film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s popular YA fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone comes out next year. In most cases, this would be exciting for an author — their beloved book being turned into a major motion picture directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood with an all-star cast that includes Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, and Amandla Stenberg. Unfortunately, Adeyemi, who co-wrote the screenplay and has an executive producer credit on the film, can’t quite get into that headspace. She recently called the experience “the worst thing I have ever had to live through.” Yikes. The drama surrounding this film goes back to last year, when the cast was announced, and ramped back up again this month after the first trailer came out. Here’s what’s happened so far.
Children of Blood and Bone came out in 2018, debuting at No. 1 on the New York Times young adult best-seller list. The film adaptation, which was already in the works when the book was released, has been mired in controversy since early 2025, when Stenberg was cast as Princess Amari. In the novel, which takes place in a fantasy version of Nigeria, Amari is described as having “dark copper skin” and experiences colorism as the darkest member of her family. Fans questioned why Stenberg, who has a Black mother and a Danish father, was given the part.
In February 2025, just as filming began, Stenberg appeared to address the controversy in a since-deleted TikTok where she spoke about the “perception” that she “steals roles from dark-skinned women.” “This year was mostly defined for me, honestly, by contending with what it felt like to receive racist death threats just for existing in the Star Wars universe, and that was a really difficult thing for me to move through,” she said, per BET. “But honestly, it feels so much more painful for me to feel like I’m at odds with my own community.”
“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,” she continued. “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.”
Stenberg also said Adeyemi had been inspired by her role in The Hunger Games and the subsequent racist backlash in the writing of Children of Blood and Bone. “Amandla, I want you to know that when you were a little girl and you were cast as Rue in The Hunger Games and people said that Rue’s death wouldn’t be as sad because you’re a Black girl — that inspired me to write this series so that Black girls like you and Black girls of all shades could have a story written about them,” Stenberg recalled Adeyemi saying during their first meeting. “We started crying, and I said to myself, ‘God wants me here.’”
Last June, Adeyemi appeared on the Quiet Conversations podcast and seemed to be in good spirits about the movie and the creative team behind it. Addressing the casting of Stenberg, Adeyemi alluded to behind-the-scenes struggles but ultimately seemed optimistic. “Of course there’s times where you would want to say, like, ‘Guys, I have fought so hard in ways you’ll never know and never imagine in so many ways,’” Adeyemi said, adding, “I respect Gina and her vision.”
“If you feel brokenhearted by this, I don’t think you’ll feel that way when you’re sitting in the theaters,” Adeyemi said. “I promise you this world is beautiful and we’re all in it.”
Earlier this month, Adeyemi posted a since-deleted TikTok captioned “Why don’t you post about the adaptation of your first film adaptation anymore?” The post included a screenshot of a text she appears to have sent Stenberg on February 25, 2025. “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again,” a message from Adeyemi’s side said. “Do not text me. Do not call me.” The screenshot also indicated that Adeyemi blocked Stenberg after sending that message. You can only sort of make out what Stenberg ostensibly sent before this exchange, but part of the text that’s visible reads “My only hope was to reconnect as human beings.”
Adeyemi’s post included more screenshots, which appear to be from a message she sent fans on Instagram. “There is a reason I will not post anything about the adaptation of my work. That’s all,” she wrote, noting that if readers wanted to support her, they should purchase her books. “I have not seen the film, and I will not watch it,” she told fans. “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.”
The author did not say what happened to cause a falling out with Stenberg, although the date of the apparent messages would put them just a couple of weeks after the actress shared the Hunger Games anecdote.
On Wednesday — the day after the first Children of Blood and Bone trailer came out — Adeyemi posted another TikTok that did not explain what happened but made it clear she wants nothing to do with the movie.
“What I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved,” Adeyemi said, speaking slowly and looking visibly upset. “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 if I don’t say something, I think it’s just going to be worse.”
Adeyemi said she left the set of Children of Blood and Bone “hyperventilating and sobbing” and returned to the U.S. with “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 said.
“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 for us to be alive, is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through,” Adeyemi said. The author said staying silent about the adaptation is “making the pain a lot worse” and even though it feels “awful” to share, “it’s better to share it and have it known and understood before I see a bunch of you for this new book.” (Adeyemi’s latest, The Siren, comes out in September.)
“I never want to hear about this project again,” Adeyemi said. “I don’t have anything to say about the people who made it. I do not care anymore. I’m trying to move on.” So far, no one involved in the film has addressed Adeyemi’s most recent video.
We still don’t know, and Adeyemi’s video has only fueled more speculation. In her comments, people said they were “even more confused.” “Unless you’re going to speak about something tangible it’s best you never address this issue again because it just causes even more confusion and raises more questions,” one fan wrote. “Sorry you’re going through this.”
The Cut has reached out to representatives for Adeyemi, Stenberg, and Children of Blood and Bone and will update this post if we hear back.
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