---
title: "'Children of Blood and Bone' author Tomi Adeyemi says she won't watch the film"
description: "Tomi Adeyemi, whose 2018 fantasy novel 'Children of Blood and Bone' became a bestseller, says she will not watch the coming film adaptation of her book, telling readers the experience has been painful and pointing them back to the novels instead."
category: "Entertainment"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/entertainment
author: "Valeria Ortiz"
published: 2026-07-05T01:53:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-05T01:53:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/children-of-blood-and-bone-author-tomi-adeyemi-says-she-wont-watch-the-film
tags: ["tomi-adeyemi", "children-of-blood-and-bone", "books", "film-adaptation", "paramount"]
---
# 'Children of Blood and Bone' author Tomi Adeyemi says she won't watch the film

Tomi Adeyemi, whose 2018 fantasy novel 'Children of Blood and Bone' became a bestseller, says she will not watch the coming film adaptation of her book, telling readers the experience has been painful and pointing them back to the novels instead.

The author of one of the past decade's biggest young-adult fantasy novels wants to make one thing clear: she is not part of the movie. Tomi Adeyemi said she will not watch the coming film adaptation of "Children of Blood and Bone," describing the process as a painful one, [Deadline reported](https://deadline.com/2026/07/children-of-blood-bone-author-will-not-watch-film-adaptation-1236974279/).

## What Adeyemi said

In a message to readers, Adeyemi said she had not seen the film and would not watch it, and that holding back her feelings about it had "been painful," [TheGrio reported](https://thegrio.com/2026/07/04/tomi-adeyemi-children-blood-bone-film-adaptation-distance/). Rather than promote the movie, she encouraged fans to read the books, steering attention back to the source material that made her name.

The stance is notable because Adeyemi was not a distant observer of the production. She co-wrote the screenplay and held a producing credit on the project, according to reporting on the film, which makes her decision to step away from it publicly all the more striking. She did not lay out the specific reasons for the break.

## The book and the film

"Children of Blood and Bone," published in 2018, was a New York Times bestseller and the first installment of Adeyemi's "Legacy of Orïsha" series. Set in a richly drawn world inspired by West African culture and mythology, it follows a young woman, Zélie, in a land where magic has been violently suppressed, as she fights to bring it back.

The film is a Paramount adaptation directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, whose previous features include "The Woman King," with a cast led by Thuso Mbedu as Zélie and including Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris and Viola Davis, [The Hollywood Reporter has reported](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/children-of-blood-and-bone-gina-prince-bythewood-paramount-1236115160/). The studio has slated the movie for a 2027 release.

## A familiar tension

Adeyemi's public distance from the adaptation touches a recurring tension in Hollywood, where authors of beloved books often have limited control over how their work reaches the screen, and where devoted readers watch adaptations closely. Neither the studio nor the filmmakers have publicly responded in detail to Adeyemi's comments.

For now, the author's message to her audience is simple and pointed: the story she wants them to know is the one on the page.