‘Children of Blood and Bone’ Author Tomi Adeyemi Left Film’s Set ‘Sobbing,’ Calls It the ‘Worst Thing I’ve Had to Live Through’ and ‘I Never Want to Hear About It Again’
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Variety Plus Icon Click to expand the Mega Menu Plus Icon Click to Expand Search Input Variety Plus Icon Read Next: The Bruin Theater in Westwood Village to Reopen: ‘It’s a Magical Place’ Home Movie News Jul 29, 2026 1:59pm PT ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ Author Tomi Adeyemi Left Movie’s Set ‘Sobbing,’ Calls It the ‘Worst Thing I’ve Had to Live Through’ and ‘I Never Want to Hear About It Again’
Adding to this, Tomi Adeyemi , author of the novel “ Children of Blood and Bone ,” shared the soon-to-release Paramount movie adaptation of her book was “the worst thing I have ever had to live through” and “I never want to hear about this project again” in a five-minute video posted on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Adeyemi, who co-wrote the screenplay for the movie, had previously spoken out about how she wouldn’t watch the “Children of Blood and Bone” movie based on her African fantasy novel after being on set for its production. Related Stories YouTube Ad Sales Keep Growing at Healthy Clip, Rising 13% to $11 Billion in Q2 Peacock to Be Included in YouTube Premium Subscription Bundle Starting in 2027
Notably, “What I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved,” she shared in the social media clip. “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, and I accept that. But I also accept if I don’t say something, I think it’s just going to be worse.” Popular on Variety
As per the latest buzz, Adeyemi alleged that she left the “Children of Blood and Bone” set “hyperventilating and sobbing” and that she is “still being antagonized behind the scenes.” Representatives for Adeyemi, Paramount and director Gina Prince-Bythewood did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.
In further updates, “I’m not going to speak on what I endured to make it through the young adult trilogy, and I’m not going to speak about everything that I also suffered through or endured to make the adaptation a reality,” Adeyemi shared. “I’m actually only going to speak about what happened after I left that set of my own movie adaptation, hyperventilating and sobbing. There are many witnesses, so it’s not really a secret. 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 movie, and I made peace with that.”
On top of that, “But as it is being marketed,” Adeyemi continued, referencing the trailer which launched on Tuesday, “And as I am still being antagonized behind the scenes, which is where I hoped all of this would stay, it’s become apparent to me that reality needs to at least be made known, so that you guys can understand how this movie, 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.”
Earlier this month in a since-deleted TikTok video, Adeyemi posted what appeared to be a group chat that included “Children of Blood and Bone” star Amandla Stenberg. Adeyemi wrote, "Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me” and appeared to block Stenberg, according to the L.A. Times. Stenberg had previously received backlash from book followers over her casting as Princess Amari due to allegations of colorism.
Source: Variety