Bestselling author Tomi Adeyemi has broken her silence in a raw five-minute video, revealing that the Paramount Pictures adaptation of her novel Children of Blood and Bone became “the worst thing I have ever had to live through.”
The writer, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Gina Prince-Bythewood, said she walked off the set of her own film adaptation “hyperventilating and sobbing.” She later suffered severe somatic pain and repeated panic attacks after returning to America.
“I’m actually only going to speak about what happened after I left that set of my own film adaptation, hyperventilating and sobbing. There are many witnesses, so it’s not really a secret,” Adeyemi stated in the video.
“I came back to America and suffered such severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks. I knew it was so bad that I would never ever be able to watch this film, and I made peace with that.”
Adeyemi explained that the pain has lasted about a year and a half. She claimed those involved at the highest levels were made aware of her experience yet did nothing to improve the situation. Instead, she said she continues to face antagonism behind the scenes even as the film’s marketing ramps up following the recent trailer release.
“What I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved. It’s a reality that I’ve had to live with for about a year and a half, and everyone involved, at least at the highest level, has been made aware of this reality, and they haven’t done anything to make it better. If anything, they’ve only antagonized me.”
She added that the ongoing issues and the start of public marketing forced her to speak out.
“This film, which I worked on to make it a little better for us to be alive, is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through.”
Adeyemi made clear she wants distance from the project going forward.
“Please understand, I never want to hear about this project again. I don’t have anything to say about the people who made it. I do not care anymore. I’m trying to move on.”
The film, based on Adeyemi’s 2018 African fantasy novel that launched a bestselling trilogy, is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and set for theatrical and IMAX release on January 15, 2027. The star-studded cast includes Thuso Mbedu as Zélie, Damson Idris as Prince Inan, Amandla Stenberg as Princess Amari, Tosin Cole, Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Ayra Starr, and Lashana Lynch.
Adeyemi’s comments come amid earlier fan debates over casting, particularly around Stenberg’s role, though the author has not detailed the specific incidents that left her so distressed.
The revelation has left fans of the Orïsha series stunned. What began as a celebrated opportunity to bring a major Black fantasy story to the big screen has now become a painful chapter the author herself refuses to revisit.