As 'Children of Blood and Bone' trailer drops, director tells why she turned down the film twice

The authoritative trailer for the movie adaptation of the African phantasy caller “Children of Blood and Bone” is making a splash online, and the manager conscionable revealed that she astir didn’t marque the film.

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), the movie stars a slew of A-list actors including Regina King, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Amandla Stenberg, Idris Elba, Tosin Cole, Viola Davis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu.

The adaptation of the archetypal installment of writer Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling “Legacy of Orïsha” phantasy trilogy is slated to deed theaters Jan. 15. The communicative follows Zélie Adebola, a courageous young pistillate with dormant magical abilities who has drawn the attraction of tyrannical King Saran, the ruler of the kingdom of Orïsha, a fictional state successful an alternate precolonial Nigeria inhabited by 2 chiseled taste groups: divîners (inherently magical radical who person had their magic stolen by King Saran) and the non-magical kosidán.

On Monday, Paramount held a “Children of Blood and Bone” trailer motorboat lawsuit astatine the Brooklyn Academy of Music successful New York City. In a treatment moderated by “Master of None” histrion Lena Waithe, Prince-Bythewood and the formed talked astir the making and almost-not-making of the film.

According to Prince-Bythewood, helming “The Woman King” felt similar the happening she’d been moving toward her full career. “And past this came and it was thing adjacent bigger and successful a abstraction that we hadn’t got to spot ourselves in, which was large epic fantasy,” she said. “And arsenic overmuch arsenic I needed a small rest, I couldn’t accidental no. And the quality of this is that I was really offered this movie 2 antithetic times implicit the past 7 years. And some times I turned it down.”

Prince-Bythewood admitted that she wasn’t emotionally acceptable to hop connected committee and that she didn’t cognize however to marque an epic phantasy movie yet. “But determination was thing astir this 3rd clip erstwhile they came to me,” she said.

“I inactive said, ‘I already turned it down truthful you’re wasting your time.’” She continued that she had realized, successful retrospect, that the 3rd connection came erstwhile it was expected to come. Plus, with “The Woman King” nether her belt, present she knew however to marque the movie.

“There was thing truthful heavy and guttural astir my transportation this clip erstwhile I work it,” she said. “I felt truthful connected to this young leader who’s warring to find her purpose. There is truthful overmuch going connected successful the satellite close now, and there’s truthful galore themes wrong this that talk to that.”

Prince-Bythewood gushed astir loving the book, the communicative and the characters. “Now however bash I actualize it? How bash I marque it a film? And that’s the breathtaking and scary part. How bash we marque magic consciousness cultural?”

The manager said her big-screen adaptation was “beautifully inspired by Nigeria and besides inclusive of the full diaspora. We wanted each of america to beryllium capable to spot ourselves wrong this, conscionable our implicit and utter humanity, each the beauteous hues.”

The remark is notable successful airy of behind-the-scenes play that has unfolded implicit the past twelvemonth and a half. Prince-Bythewood co-wrote the publication with Adeyemi, but the writer precocious distanced herself from the book-to-screen task and said she would not spot the movie aft a casting contention involving Stenberg, who portrays Princess Amari successful the film.

In February 2025, Stenberg posted a since-deleted nine-minute TikTok addressing backlash that suggested colorism was astatine play erstwhile she landed the gig. She told followers that Adeyemi had fixed the histrion her blessing erstwhile formed arsenic the series’ princess.

“I americium 4 months into grooming for ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ and I americium getting my ass whooped,” Stenberg joked successful the video, per BET.

“I had the accidental to conscionable Tomi, the novelist, for the archetypal time. … And she goes, ‘Amandla, I privation you to cognize that erstwhile you were a small miss and you were formed arsenic Rue successful ‘The Hunger Games,’ and radical said that Rue’s decease wouldn’t beryllium arsenic bittersweet due to the fact that you’re a Black miss — that inspired maine to constitute this bid truthful that Black girls similar you and Black girls of each shades could person a communicative written astir them.’”

Shortly aft Stenberg said Adeyemi gave the histrion her blessing, they had a substance speech that hinted astatine a alteration of bosom oregon antithetic communicative entirely.

This month, the Nigerian American writer posted a since-deleted video connected TikTok addressing fans who had been — according to her — asking her the aforesaid question, “Why don’t you station astir the adaptation of your archetypal movie adaptation anymore?”

“There is simply a crushed I volition not station thing astir the adaptation of my work,” the writer wrote successful what appeared to beryllium screenshots of a radical chat. “I person not seen the film, and I volition not ticker it.”

Alongside the screenshots of her comments successful the radical chat, she shared a February 2025 speech with Stenberg. Adeyemi shared lone her last connection to the actor, which read, “Do not ever usage my sanction successful an interrogation oregon video again. Do not substance me. Do not telephone me.” That speech is followed by a notification that she blocked Stenberg.

The connection from Stenberg that preceded Adeyemi’s reply was not shown successful full.