Children of Blood and Bone, the bestselling West African-inspired YA fantasy story from Tomi Adeyemi, is heading to the big screen soon, and its cast just got a whole lot bigger. Variety reports that a slew of new talent has been announced for the movie, which is being directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King, The Old Guard). That includes Hollywood heavyweights like Idris Elba, Viola Davis, and Wicked's Cynthia Erivo, as well as up-and-comers like Amandla Stenberg (The Acolyte), Thosu Mbedu (The Woman King), Damson Idris (Snowfall), and Tosin Cole (Supacell).
The Children of Blood and Bone movie also got a tentative release window of January 2027 in IMAX, and is slated to begin production in South Africa in the coming weeks. So it's still a ways off, but the fact that there's so much movement on the film is a very good sign.
If you're not familiar with Children of Blood and Bone, now would be a good time to check it out at your local library or bookshop! It's the first of Adeyemi's Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, a series which took the YA fantasy scene by storm in the late 2010s. It follows a young woman named Zelie (Mbedu), who discovers that she possesses access to some of the magics that were eradicated from her people by the ruthless King Saran (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Zelie and her brother Tzain (Cole) form an uneasy partnership with the king's own renegade children, Princess Amari (Stenberg) and Prince Inan (Idris), in hopes of securing a future for their people outside of his brutal regime.
“I am so honored and excited to bring Tomi’s ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ and the vibrant world of Orisha to life,” Prince-Bythewood said in a statement. “Our incredible ensemble reflects the whole of the diaspora. This is where our magic lies.”
Children of Blood and Bone released in 2018 to widespread acclaim; together with its two sequels Children of Virtue and Vengeance and Children of Anguish and Anarchy, it spent a combined 175 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List. There have been plenty of stabs at creating a new YA Hollywood phenomenon series in the vein of The Hunger Games, but from where I'm sitting Children of Blood and Bone might actually be the best contender yet to take that crown.
Variety makes a pretty interesting observation where that's concerned. Apparently, those original Hunger Games movies were one of the things that inspired Tomi Ademyemi to write Children of Blood and Bone in the first place — specifically, the racial backlash to the castings of Stenberg as Rue and Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. That makes the casting of Stenberg as Princess Amari in this movie a huge full circle moment.
“I’m the kind of person who gets motivated by anger, so I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m going to write a story that’s so good and so Black that everyone’s going to have to read it even if you’re racist,’” Adeyemi told EW back in 2018. “That became my writing mission.”
Here's the full cast we know so far for Children of Blood and Bone:
Actor | Character |
|---|---|
Thosu Mbedu | Zelie |
Tosin Cole | Tzain |
Amandla Stenberg | Princess Amari |
Damson Idris | Prince Inan |
Viola Davis | Mama Agba |
Cynthia Erivo | Admiral Kaea |
Idris Elba | Lekan |
Lashana Lynch | Jumoke |
Chiwetel Ejiofor | King Saran |
If those castings weren't impressive enough, there are a few other actors Variety says are in negotiations to join the film, including Regina King as Queen Nehanda, Diaana Babnicova as Folake, and Bukky Bakray as Binta. Children of Blood and Bone will also hold an open casting call in Nigeria to fill out additional roles.
This adaptation is shaping up to be one to watch out for, so we'll have our ear to the ground for more updates. In the meantime, you can always check out Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi if you want to find out what's in store.
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