The eagerly awaited adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone, one of the best-selling fantasy novels, is finally on the verge of happening. The action fantasy movie, authored by Tomi Adeyemi and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, will be shown in IMAX theatres by Paramount Pictures. It was first released in 2018 and has two sequels: Children of Anguish and Anarchy (2024) and Children of Virtue and Vengeance (2019).
As per Variety, the first installment stayed a total of 175 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list and has widespread praise for being one of the best young adult fiction novels to date. These present solid reasons for it being one of the most hyped upcoming adaptations.
The adaptation has been through a long battle where it was optioned for a film adaptation by Fox 2000 for which Rick Famuyiwa was appointed as the director. But after the acquisition of Fox 2000 by Disney, the project was moved to Lucasfilm, and Kay Oyegan was invited as scripter.
Gina Prince-Bythewood is excited about the project which is a perfect mix of well-known faces and some of the rising stars, which, according to her is an “incredible ensemble that reflects the whole of the diaspora. This is where our magic lies”, she told Variety.
The story and cast members
The novel already has an impressive Goodreads rating of 4.1 and was chosen as a winner for Readers’ Favourite Debut Author (2018) and was a nominee for Readers’ Favourite Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction (2018).
The debut novel by Adeyemi is based on the Nigerian and African mythology of Orisha. Olodumare despatched the Yoruba gods known as Orishas, who are in charge of nature's destiny and the forces that shape the human world.
The story revolves around the protagonist, a young girl named Zelie, who lives in the same magical world of Orisha. Since the world is full of powers and monarchies, persistent problems of class discrimination and abuse of power are evident, eventually leading to violence.
Zelie is part of the group called Maji who have special powers of their own. She helps to bring the power back after a peculiar discovery and even assists the former Maji who was mistreated.
It is expected to become one of the finest fantasy franchises of its time since the cast includes Oscar winners and highly acclaimed actors. While the story holds another level of fame, it could possibly become a firework in the said genre, similar to the Harry Potter franchise.
The cast of the film includes Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) and Idris Elba (Sonic 3) along with Viola Davis (The Woman King), Thuso Mbedu (Is'Thunzi), Amandla Stenberg (The Hate You Give), Damson Idris (Outside the Wire), Tosin Cole (Supacell), Lashana Lynch (The Day of the Jackal), and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave).
The production will begin in South Africa with the release date scheduled for January 15, 2027.