‘Children of Blood & Bone’ Author Officially Disowns Upcoming Movie Adaptation!!

The fantasy genre in recent years has been largely landlocked to the television space, largely thanks to the massive popularity of Game of Thrones and its two very successful spin-offs, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Other examples include Netflix‘s The Witcher, Prime Video‘s The Wheel of Time, and many more, but the genre is making a big return to the big screen in the coming years, such as several The Lord of the Rings spin-offs from Peter Jackson in active development. However, one of next year’s most anticipated projects is now facing a new bout of controversy that feels eerily similar to George R.R. Martin‘s ongoing feud with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal.

After years in development hell, Children of Blood & Bone, the beloved first installment of the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, is finally set to hit the big screen in early 2027 with a star-studded cast to boot. The excitement from fans ever since the news has been palpable, but now, things have taken a turn as original series creator and book author Tomi Adeyemi has officially disowned the upcoming adaptation in a recent social media post, saying “I have not seen the film and I will not watch it” in a collection of direct messages she shared online. Adeyemi didn’t elaborate on specifics for the “painful” falling out with the upcoming project, although one message shared draws specifically to a message to star Amandla Stenberg, saying, “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.”

Stenberg, who has long been a target of fan backlash across franchises for her roles in the original The Hunger Games and the divisive Star Wars spin-off The Acolyte, has also faced controversy over her role in the adaptation of Children of Blood & Bone. In February 2025, Stenberg officially responded to accusations that the actor was “stealing roles from dark-skinned women” by using a story that claimed Adeyemi wrote the Legacy of Orïsha novels after being inspired by the racist backlash Stenberg received after being cast in The Hunger Games. It is worth noting that, according to the DMs shared by Adeyemi, the falling out between the author and Stenberg took place after the following comments about their creative collaborations:

“I had the opportunity to meet Tomi, the novelist, for the first time. Then, she goes, ‘Amandla, I want you to know that when you were a little girl and were cast as Rue in The Hunger Games, and you had these racist remarks thrown at you because 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.’ We just started crying, and I said to myself, ‘God wants me here!'”

What Is ‘Children of Blood & Bone’ About?

A fantasy saga set in a fictional African kingdom, Children of Blood & Bone follows a young girl’s quest to recover an ancient magical artifact after thieves take a hold of it. Widely considered to be one of the best YA fantasy novels of the last decade, if done correctly, and adaptation of Children of Blood & Bone has the potential to be on same level as the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson franchises. In addition to Amandla Stenberg, the cast also consists of Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Regina King, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.