After a lot of delays, the film adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone is finally taking shape. On Wednesday, four new cast members were announced for the lead roles — Thuso Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, and Tosin Cole. They join the five previously announced cast members Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Lashana Lynch, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Three more cast members are in negotiation, according to a report by Variety — Regina King, Diaana Babnicova, and Bukky Bakray. The movie is based on the best-selling novel by Tomi Adeyemi, and will be directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. It is currently scheduled to hit theaters on January 15, 2027.
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Children of Blood and Bone is a young adult fantasy inspired by Nigerian myths and folklore. It is set in the fictional kingdom of Orïsha which is inhabited by an oppressed class of magic users called divîners, in addition to non-magical people. The heroine, Zélie Adebola, is thrust into a quest to restore the magic suppressed in the kingdom and restore balance.
Zélie will be played by Mbedu, who worked with the director before on The Woman King. Cole will play Zélie’s older brother Tzain, while Stenberg and Idris will play the children of the king, Princess Amari and Prince Inan. Stenberg’s casting is particularly poetic since Adeyemi has said she was inspired to write this book in part by the racist backlash Stenberg’s casting in The Hunger Games.
Davis will play the character Mama Agba, while Erivo will play Admiral Kaea, Elba will play Lekan, Lynch will play Jumoke, and Ejiofor will play King Saran. King is in negotiations to play Queen Nehana, Babnicova to play Folake, and Bakray to play Binta. Production is reportedly expected to begin within a few weeks.
Children of Blood and Bone was first published in 2018 and was followed by Children of Virtue and Vengeance, then Children of Anguish and Anarchy. Altogether, the series is titled The Legacy of Orïsha Trilogy. So far, Paramount Pictures has only committed to one film adaptation, leaving the fate of sequels up to its success.
The film rights to this adaptation were originally optioned by Fox 2000 Pictures, but the project was lost in the shuffle when Disney acquired 21st Century Fox. It was transfered to Lucasfilm where it sat unused for several years. Finally, the film rights lapsed and Paramount acquired them instead, prompting this new flurry of work on the movie.
Children of Blood and Bone and Adeyemi’s other books are available now in print, digital and audiobook formats. The film adaptation is scheduled to hit theaters on January 15, 2027.
