Tomi Adeyemi Quits Adapting After 'Blood and Bone' — SkimNews
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- Tomi Adeyemi told The Guardian she will "never" adapt another book into a film, calling the "Children of Blood and Bone" set experience "the worst thing I have ever had to live through."
- Her late-July TikTok video went viral after Adeyemi said she was left "hyperventilating and sobbing" on set and later suffered "severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks" after returning to America from filming.
- The "Children of Blood and Bone" film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, stars Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Idris Elba, and Viola Davis; it hits theaters Jan. 15.
- The casting of Amandla Stenberg, who is mixed race, in a role Adeyemi describes as having "dark copper skin" ignited colorism criticism from book fans.
- In a since-deleted early-July TikTok, Adeyemi posted what appeared to be a group chat with Stenberg, texting: "Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again."
- Adeyemi told The Guardian she "still don't plan to watch" the finished film, adding: "it's not really for me to watch."
Why it matters: Adeyemi's public break from the "Children of Blood and Bone" film and her refusal to watch the finished product casts a cloud over the adaptation's Jan. 15 theatrical rollout despite its star-studded cast. Her colorism dispute over Amandla Stenberg's casting exposes how author-director tensions can complicate literary adaptations long before release.
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