It looks like Children of Blood and Bone has begun filming! On Monday, author Tomi Adeyemi shared a photo of a director’s chair on Instagram with the title printed on the back. It looked like it was taken at a hair and makeup station on set, and it makes sense that production is underway. The long-awaited YA fantasy adaptation made some big casting announcements last month, and it appears those stars have gotten straight to work. Adeyemi geotagged the post in Orisha — the fictional kingdom that this story is set in — and captioned it, “and… action.” It looks like the author will keep us updated directly from her social media platform.
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It’s been a long and tedious road for Children of Blood and Bone to come to the screen, so it’s fitting that Adeyemi is so excited. The book was published in 2018, but it was optioned for film before it even hit shelves. It was originally picked up by Fox 2000 Pictures, but that studio was shuttered by its parent company, 21st Century Fox, when it was acquired by Disney.
This corporate shuffle landed Children of Blood and Bone at Lucasfilm, but that studio is not known for these kinds of original projects, and it stagnated for several years. Adeyemi was openly frustrated, reportedly asking if she could write the script herself to get the ball rolling. She was denied, and by the end of 2021, the film rights had lapsed.
The rights were picked up by Paramount Pictures in 2022, and things have moved forward steadily since then. Adeyemi wrote the script herself as requested, and Gina Prince-Bythewood will direct. The all-star cast includes Thuso Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Tosin Cole, Cynthia Erivo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lashana Lynch, Idris Elba, and Viola Davis.
Frustrating as these delays were, they did leave time for Adeyemi to write and publish the rest of the series without distraction — an advantage that some of the best fantasy adaptations haven’t had. The finished product is the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, which concluded just last year in Children of Anguish and Anarchy. That also means Adeyemi will be able to devote her full attention to this movie a writer and executive producer. On top of that, it seems she will be our most direct source of updates on social media.
The Legacy of Orïsha novels are available now in print, digital, and audiobook formats. Children of Blood and Bone seems to be filming now, but there is no word on when it might hit theaters.
