Bestselling Author Tomi Adeyemi Says She’ll Never Turn Another Book Into A Movie After “Children Of Blood And Bone” Experience

Bestselling Author Tomi Adeyemi Says She’ll Never Turn Another Book Into A Movie After “Children Of Blood And Bone” Experience

Tomi Adeyemi says bringing “Children of Blood and Bone” to the big screen was so difficult that she has no plans to adapt another of her books into a movie.

The bestselling author previously described the production as “the worst thing I have ever had to live through,” claiming she was left “hyperventilating and sobbing” on set and later experienced severe physical pain and panic attacks. While Adeyemi declined to reveal exactly what happened behind the scenes, she told The Guardian that speaking publicly was necessary for her to move forward. “I can’t really worry about the response, because I don’t have to live with how people respond to me – I have to live with me, every day,” she said. Following the experience, Adeyemi said she’ll “never” turn one of her books into a movie again.
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The upcoming film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, boasts a star-studded cast including #DamsonIdris, Amandla Stenberg, Cynthia Erivo, #ReginaKing, Idris Elba and #ViolaDavis. Stenberg’s casting previously sparked colorism discussions among fans, and Adeyemi later appeared to distance herself from the actress in a since-deleted #TikTok. Asked about the casting controversy, Adeyemi stressed that the movie’s creative decisions were not hers, saying, “With a film, the director makes every decision,” before adding, “So there’s nothing for me to add, other than the clarity that these aren’t my choices.”
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Despite the adaptation heading to theaters Jan. 15, Adeyemi has no intention of seeing the finished product. “I still don’t plan to watch it, but it’s not really for me to watch,” she said, adding that the entire experience of completing the trilogy and its adaptation “took all of me.”