Tomi Adeyemi says she will not watch the film adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone, making a public break from a project she has long been tied to. In a Saturday TikTok video, she said she has not seen it and will not watch it, then drew a line between her work and the screen version.
“Since someone asked, I have not seen the film, and I will not watch it,” Adeyemi wrote. She also said, “It’s been painful holding this back from you all,” and added, “I do not mind anyone going to watch the film. I wrote this for us. I fought for us. I’m just laying down my sword and officially separating my name because I can’t keep being hurt and attacked behind the scenes.”
TikTok and a public break
Adeyemi’s post did more than skip a promotional beat. It turned a scheduled adaptation into a public author-versus-project story, with the original writer openly distancing herself from the release before it reaches theaters on Jan. 15, 2027. For readers tracking the film, her decision signals that the book’s author is no longer presenting the adaptation as something she will personally stand behind.
She also wrote, “There is a reason I will not post anything about the adaptation of my work. That’s all.” In the same post, she addressed the matter in personal terms, saying, “And I’m sorry if any of you thought I didn’t care. I will always care about US. More than any glitter.”
February 2025 message to Amandla Stenberg
The split did not appear out of nowhere. A screenshot shown in Adeyemi’s Saturday TikTok included a message to Amandla Stenberg that read, “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.” The timestamp in the screenshot indicated February 2025, placing the message months before the Saturday video.
Around February 2025, Stenberg posted a deleted TikTok video responding to colorism backlash around her role and said Adeyemi had supported her casting. That sequence matters because it shows the dispute moved from private friction to a public break tied to how the adaptation was discussed, not just how it was made.
Jan. 15, 2027 release
The film is still scheduled to hit theaters on Jan. 15, 2027, with Gina Prince-Bythewood directing and Adeyemi credited as executive producer and screenplay co-writer. The cast includes Thuso Mbedu, Tosin Cole, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Regina King, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Viola Davis.
Adeyemi wrote that she fought for the project and that she is now “officially separating my name,” which leaves the release moving forward without her public endorsement. For anyone following the adaptation, the unresolved issue is not the date on the calendar; it is what happened behind the scenes that pushed the author of Children of Blood and Bone to step back so sharply.
