Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ in Trouble? Writer and Producer Tomi Adeyemi Distances Herself

Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “Children of Blood and Bone” landed with a thud at CinemaCon. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone raving about the footage screened in April.

It already raised eyebrows when Paramount scheduled the film for a January 15, 2027 release—a month often viewed as a studio dumping ground—and now the situation has become even more intriguing.

Directed by Prince-Bythewood, “Children of Blood and Bone” is based on Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling novel of the same name. Adeyemi, who also co-wrote the screenplay and serves as an executive producer, has now chosen to distance herself from the project, taking to—of all places—TikTok to voice her frustrations. You can check out her posts below.

There is a reason I will not post anything about the adaptation of my work… I have not seen the film, and i will not watch it. It’s been painful holding this back from you all.

Why she decided to step away remains the biggest question. It’s possible the filmmakers significantly altered her script, though the exact reasons remain unclear. The production also underwent reshoots earlier this year, which has only fueled speculation.

One of the primary reasons Paramount obtained the rights to this story from Disney/Lucasfilm was to give Adeyemi creative control over the screenplay while also allowing her to serve as an executive producer on the film.

“Children of Blood and Bone” is set in an African fantasy kingdom where a young woman embarks on a quest to restore the magic that was violently stolen from her people.

The ensemble cast includes Thuso Mbedu, Tosin Cole, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Regina King, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Viola Davis.

The last major update from Prince-Bythewood came as she continued work on the project following “The Woman King” in 2022. Since then, the filmmaker—whose credits also include “The Old Guard,” “Love & Basketball,” and “The Secret Life of Bees”—has been deeply involved in the pre-production, filming, and post-production of “Children of Blood and Bone.”