Author Tomi Adeyemi has released a new video describing lasting negative effect from making the film adaptation of her own novel, Children of Blood and Bone, the most severe escalation yet in a monthslong public break from the Paramount Pictures production.
In the video, Adeyemi says she won’t detail what she says she endured, instead, she focuses on what happened after she left the film’s set: she says she departed in visible distress, with witnesses present, and returned to the United States afterward with severe physical pain and repeated panic attacks. She says the toll was serious enough that she made peace with never being able to watch the finished film. She adds that she is speaking out now because of how the film is being marketed and because what she describes as ongoing behind-the-scenes antagonism hasn’t let up.
How the rift became public
Adeyemi’s break from the project first surfaced publicly in early July, when she posted a TikTok answering fans who’d noticed she’d stopped promoting the movie. The video was light on specifics but firm in tone: she told fans “There is a reason I will not post anything about the adaptation of my work” and directed anyone wanting to support her instead toward buying the book trilogy from independent bookstores. She also revealed for the first time that she had not seen the finished film and did not intend to.
That initial statement traced back to a casting controversy from February 2025. When Stenberg was cast as Princess Amari, a character described in the books as dark-skinned, some fans accused the actress, who is of mixed heritage, of displacing darker-skinned actresses from the role. Stenberg addressed the backlash in a lengthy TikTok at the time, telling viewers she’d spoken with Adeyemi directly and had the author’s support; the video has since been deleted. Around that same period, Adeyemi also quietly deleted a photo she’d posted from the film’s set.
Screenshots Adeyemi later shared showed a private message she’d sent Stenberg dated February 28, 2025, days after Stenberg’s video, telling the actress not to contact her again and indicating Adeyemi had blocked her. In the comments beneath her July TikTok, Adeyemi pushed back on fans who cited her past involvement as evidence she’d supported the project, clarifying that creative decisions belonged to director Gina Prince-Bythewood and telling one commenter she’d tried “everything” to make the collaboration work.
What’s new
The latest video goes further than anything Adeyemi has said publicly before, naming the personal cost directly: panic attacks, physical pain, and a film she says she can’t bring herself to watch. She says the people involved at the highest levels have known about her experience for roughly a year and a half without addressing it, and that she’s chosen to speak now, reluctantly, rather than stay silent as the marketing campaign continues around her.
Adeyemi originally signed on to co-write the screenplay with Prince-Bythewood and to serve as an executive producer on the film; it remains unclear whether she still holds those credits.
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The film moves forward regardless
Despite the rift, Paramount has continued promoting the movie, including a newly released trailer. Children of Blood and Bone stars Thuso Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Tosin Cole, Viola Davis, Regina King, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Lashana Lynch and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and is scheduled to open in theaters and IMAX on January 15, 2027.
Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy has sold nearly three million copies worldwide and spent a combined 175 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Neither Paramount nor representatives for the film or for Stenberg have publicly responded to Adeyemi’s statements.
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of a traumatic experience, consider reaching out to a mental health professional or a crisis line for support.