Epic Romantasy ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ Hits Theaters Jan 15, 2027, With Star-Studded Cast

‘Children of Blood and Bone’ is a 2018 romantic fantasy novel by Nigerian-American author Tomi Adeyemi. It’s her first book and the start of the ‘Legacy of Orïsha’ trilogy. The story follows Zélie Adebola, a young girl trying to bring magic back to the kingdom of Orïsha after the ruling class, the kosidáns, wiped out the maji, her people who once wielded magic.

Adeyemi spent 18 months and 45 drafts writing the novel, drawing inspiration from books like ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘An Ember in the Ashes,’ West African mythology, and Yoruba culture. She was also influenced by the pain of police violence against Black Americans.

The book was a huge success. It debuted at number one on ‘The New York Times’ Best Seller list for young adult books and received praise for tackling themes like oppression, racism, and slavery. It’s also a coming-of-age tale about young people finding the power to make change.

Before ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ was even published, the film rights were picked up by Fox 2000 Pictures and Temple Hill Productions, known for movies like ‘Love, Simon’ and ‘The Hate U Give.’ In 2019, Rick Famuyiwa was named as the director, and author Tomi Adeyemi mentioned her dream cast included Idris Elba as Saran and Viola Davis as Mama Agba.

After Disney bought 21st Century Fox, Fox 2000 shut down, and the project moved to Lucasfilm.

By January 2022, Paramount Pictures secured the rights to produce ‘Children of Blood’ and Bone as a theatrical release, with Tomi Adeyemi writing the script and serving as executive producer.

Adeyemi reportedly grew frustrated with Lucasfilm’s slow progress and asked to write the script, but Lucasfilm declined. Since the studio was focused on its franchises like ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones,’ it let the film rights expire in late 2021.

The cast was eventually filled with star-studded names. The cast features Thuso Mbedu as Zélie, Amandla Stenberg as Amari, and Damson Idris as Inan. Other key roles include Chiwetel Ejiofor as King Saran, Viola Davis as Mama Agba, Idris Elba as Lekan, and Lashana Lynch as Jumoke.

The lineup also includes Regina King (rumored as Queen Nehanda), Bukky Bakray (rumored as Binta), and Cynthia Erivo as Admiral Kaea.

Recently, the movie got a massive release update and we’re glad to report that it’s going to be released theatrically on Jan 15, 2027.

Set in the fictional land of Orïsha, the story follows Zélie Adebola, a young divîner oppressed after magic was wiped out and her people brutally targeted by King Saran. When Zélie and her brother Tzain encounter Princess Amari, the king’s daughter, fleeing with a stolen magical scroll, they join forces to restore magic to Orïsha. With Zélie’s power as a Reaper awakening, they embark on a dangerous journey to bring hope back to their people while evading the ruthless king.

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