Tomi Adeyemi calls film adaptation 'the worst thing I've ever lived through'

Tomi Adeyemi, author of the novel 'Children of Blood and Bone', has continued to share her experience with the film adaptation in interviews and on social media. In a newly posted five-minute TikTok video, she described the process as 'the worst thing I have ever had to live through'.

Adeyemi said she left the set 'hyperventilating and sobbing' and added: 'I never want to hear about this project again.' She also revealed that after returning to the US, she suffered severe somatic pain and panic attacks, and has made peace with never watching the film.

Although Adeyemi co-wrote the screenplay, her relationship with the project team deteriorated. She claimed that those involved continued to 'antagonise' her behind the scenes, and that her public statement was intended to 'put the affair to bed', though she conceded it might prolong the story.

A hint of conflict was also evident in comments by director Gina Prince-Bythewood to the Los Angeles Times, where she alluded to a casting controversy involving actress Amandla Stenberg, who portrays Princess Amari. Prince-Bythewood emphasized that the adaptation is 'beautifully inspired by Nigeria and inclusive of the whole diaspora'.

Adeyemi had previously deleted a TikTok video showing a group chat with Stenberg, in which she wrote: 'Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.'

The release of the first trailer on Monday appears to have prompted Adeyemi to speak out again. 'As it is being marketed and as I am still being antagonised behind the scenes... it's become apparent to me that reality needs to at least be made known,' she said. 'So that you guys can understand how this film... is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through.'

The film also stars Regina King, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Tosin Cole, Viola Davis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lashana Lynch, and Thuso Mbedu.