Children of Blood and Bone movie sets early 2027 release date

The movie adaptation of one of the hottest YA fantasy epics in recent years just got a release date, promising a major new entry in the genre.

With fantasy still hot, studios are trying to bring any best-selling epic to the big or small screen. Among them is Children of Blood and Bone, the first book in Nigerian-American novelist Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy. Paramount just released a video featuring the film’s official logo and a release date of January 15, 2027. 

That’s a good date, as it’s right around Martin Luther King Jr. Day and thus the perfect time for a film revolving around an African-American cast, plus it's a four-day weekend which will enhance the box office. That’s an excellent step for what’s already promising to be a prime fantasy saga.

What is Children of Blood and Bone about?

The Legacy of Orisha trilogy is set in the titular kingdom, a world based on West African mythology that resembles pre-colonial Nigeria. The people are split between white-haired magical-using divîners and non-magical kosidán.

Over a decade prior to the book’s events, King Saran led a purge of diviners and figured out how to “turn off” magic, oppressing those remaining. Zélie Adebola and her brother Tzain (whose mother was a diviner) meet Princess Amari, who’s stolen a magical scroll that can help revive magic. The trio join together on a quest to acquire a sunstone and a dagger to perform a ritual that can restore magic before a celestial event occurs.

The books have been praised by critics not just for the adventure and fun characters but also tackling issues of racism, slavery, and class warfare, and the African worldbuilding adds a special flavor many other fantasy epics lack. The book and its sequels (Children of Virtue and Vengeance and Children of Anguish and Anarchy) have all been best-sellers. 

The movie version is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who proved she can handle material like this in her acclaimed 2022 film The Woman King about the female warriors of 19th-century Africa, starring Viola Davis. It’s little wonder she’s been attracted to this tale. 

As for the cast, Thuso Mbedu (who starred in The Woman King) will play Zelie, and Viola Davis will once more work with Prince-Bythewood as the Oscar-winner portrays Mama Agba, Zelie's mentor. Other prominent cast members include Tosin Cole as Tzain, Amandla Stenberg as Princess Amari, Damson Idris as Prince Inan, Idris Elba as Lekan, Chiwetel Ejiofor as King Saran, Cynthia Erivo as Admiral Kaea, Regina King as Queen Nehanda, Lashana Lynch as Jumoke, and more.

We still need to see a trailer and photos, but the movie is primed to be a hit to kick off a new cinematic fantasy trilogy that has the potential to stand out from the other fantasy epics out there.

Children of Blood and Bone premieres in theaters January 15, 2027.