Children of Blood and Bone Combines Black Panther and Lord of the Rings

Following an extended development period, Tomi Adeyemi's best-selling young novel, Children of Blood and Bone , will finally get a big-screen adaptation courtesy of director Gina Prince-Bythewood ( The Woman King ). Set for release in January 2027, this new and intriguing blockbuster could become one of the biggest fantasy properties of the new year, if done right, especially in how it harkens to a variety of other well-proven projects.

Based on source material inspired by the likes of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games , and a grand-scale film adaptation that has received charitable comparisons to The Lord of the Rings and Black Panther , Children of Blood and Bone has lofty ambitions, to be sure. Despite concerns that the project was potentially "unfilmable" due to its massive, magically complex world-building, the movie is set to premiere in just a matter of months. While it has faced some serious conflicts and internal strife, expectations are towering for this fantasy feature.

During a trip to Brazil, author Tomi Adeyemi was struck with inspiration. She was in a gift shop, looking at the African gods and goddesses and how gorgeously they were depicted, and it got her thinking. As she recounted to The Guardian , it made her think about "all the beautiful images we never see featuring Black people." From there, the writer wanted to craft an epic tale rooted in West Africa, and to give it an undeniably political angle.

Specifically, Adeyemi wanted to respond to repeated cases of police brutality, particularly as the book explored oppression, racism, and slavery, resulting in a blend of old-fashioned storytelling and modern-day parallels. The author drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including Yoruba culture and Western fantasy fiction , like Ember in the Ashes , The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Shadowshaper, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

This young adult romantic fantasy novel follows Zélie Adebola, a heroine who attempts to restore magic to her kingdom after the brutal suppression of magic practitioners throughout her land. Even before it was officially published, this instant best-seller received tremendous hype for its dynamic combination of enticing fantasy themes and unflinching modern context. There was little doubt that Adeyemi's book would lend itself nicely to the big screen. Although a film adaptation was announced before Children of Blood and Bone 's 2018 release, this troubled film has taken nearly a decade to come together, notably as it kept shifting directors and studios.

Initially, Rick Famuyiwa ( Dope ) was attached to helm the movie under Fox 2000 Pictures' banner. However, after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox and shuttered this division, Children of Blood and Bone was set up at Lucasfilm. Kay Oyegun ( This Is Us ) was attached to write the screenplay, and it was set to become their first live-action project under Disney's rule. Nevertheless, in 2022, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights, and Adeyemi would write the screenplay and serve as executive producer. This was a promising new start for the film, as Adeyemi wanted to adapt her own novel at Lucasfilm and was denied the chance. Fans had hope that this material would be done justice. Soon thereafter, Gina Prince-Bythewood joined the project as the director.

With its troubled pre-production and the rights bouncing between different studios, one can discern why this project could, at one point, be considered unlikely to be made, and that is without mentioning the hurdles of bringing this expansive literary world to proper life on the big screen. Nevertheless, with Prince-Bythewood co-adapting the screenplay to direct, this cinematic adaptation finally had cameras rolling at the start of 2025.

Prince-Bythewood, who found critical success with Netflix's The Old Guard and built an impressive cinematic world with The Woman King , appeared to be quite a good fit for the material; the esteemed Love & Basketball helmer's track record suggested that she would do well by Adeyemi's material and make a film that could earn proper comparisons to the heights of The Lord of the Rings and Black Panther , to name a couple of examples.

However, earlier this year, surprising, and no doubt concerning, controversy brewed between the author and this upcoming film. While Adeyemi had an active hand throughout the production of this film adaptation, she has declared that this new movie won't be a true, worthy translation of her best-selling and well-read text.

In July, fans noticed that Tomi Adeyemi stopped promoting Children of Blood and Bone' s film adaptation on her social media. When asked why she was not advertising the movie, especially as the release date drew ever closer, the author solemnly replied that there was "a reason why" the oft-outspoken novelist would "not post anything about the adaptation of my work," despite having a heavy hand in the process, at least at one point.

The nitty-gritty details surrounding Adeyemi's distance from the project remain somewhat unclear. Still, it's apparent that, after years of behind-the-scenes work and a lot of time and effort turning this book into a major new movie, the author has found herself intensely dissatisfied with the extended process. She has no plans to watch or promote the blockbuster, despite serving as an executive producer. Adeyemi claims that, despite her involvement in the filmmaking process in the early stages, creative disagreements and various conflicts have resulted in her no longer having a creative say. Any perception that she is involved is, according to her, "a lie."

Suffice it to say, the explanation for Adeyemi's stark disowning of the film adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone will likely not become fully known until a later date. In fact, there is a decent chance that fans may never know the reasons why the author-executive producer is now so starkly disapproving of this forthcoming film. Whether it is simply because she didn't approve of the changes the filmmakers have made, or something more dishearteningly alienating happened between Adeyemi and the other producers and film creatives, it has given literary fans considerable pause, notably as this blockbuster starts unveiling its earliest marketing materials.

Nevertheless, as Paramount moves full speed ahead promoting this upcoming blockbuster, one can only hope that the feature still works, despite the controversies the forthcoming title has amassed. Of course, an author's publicized disapproval of an adaptation of their work isn't necessarily the kiss of death. Several past novelists have vocally disliked big-screen variations of their work . Sometimes, it can help the flick gain more publicity.

But it's rare to see an author integral to the process of turning this best-selling book into a big movie become so publicly disapproving, particularly before its release, to the point of potentially jeopardizing the movie's success with her outspoken dismissal of the end product. And, in fact, without watching the film, suggesting that the troubles were brewed deep in the development process. The 180-degree shift in Adeyemi's reaction over the years should, at the very least, raise eyebrows, especially among those who love the source material.

Just a few days ago, Paramount Pictures unveiled the first look at Gina Prince-Bythewood's latest feature film, Children of Blood and Bone . The early promo images make it clear that this film follows suit with her previous one, The Woman King , and will offer viewers a vibrant, grand-scale, and impressively mounted epic rooted in West African mythology. And one that's majorly influenced by the Black Panther movies, too, as noted before.

It has been a long journey from page to screen, and it's only a matter of months before Children of Blood and Bone storms into theaters on January 15th, 2027. Will Tomi Adeyemi's disapproval hurt the movie's success? Will the adaptation live up to expectations, despite the vocal, public disinterest from its best-selling author? Only time will tell. But it has been a curious, surprisingly controversial journey these last nine years, at least.