Paramount has released the first trailer for Children of Blood and Bone, its film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi's bestselling fantasy novel. The first look runs just over three minutes.
The story is set in the fictional African kingdom of Orïsha, where the cruel King Saran has stripped the population of its magic. After Zélie, played by Thuso Mbedu, loses her mother one night, she resolves to overthrow the tyrant, and when the chance arises she fights to restore magic to her people.
Cast includes Idris Elba and Viola Davis
The film's cast includes Idris Elba, known for Masters of the Universe, House of Dynamite and Concussion; Chiwetel Ejiofor, known for The Martian, Doctor Strange and Secret Invasion; Tosin Cole, known for Doctor Who; Cynthia Erivo, known for Chaos Walking and The Outsider; and Viola Davis, known for The First Lady and Suicide Squad, among others.
Filming in South Africa and the Canaries
Production took place in South Africa and the Canary Islands. According to People magazine, director and screenwriter Gina Prince-Bythewood, known for The Secret Life of Bees, The Old Guard and Cloak & Dagger, wanted the cast to perform in real locations rather than on sets. Some locations required drives of three to four hours followed by a half-hour walk across dangerous terrain.
Children of Blood and Bone is scheduled to premiere on January 15, 2027.
A bestselling trilogy
Adeyemi's novel was published in 2018 and became an instant bestseller. The trilogy spent 175 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, won the Hugo and Nebula awards, and has sold 3 million copies worldwide.
Adeyemi's inspiration and struggles on set
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Adeyemi said the backlash over the casting of black actors in The Hunger Games (2012) pushed her to write the novel. She described the story as an allegory of the modern Black experience and said fantasy was the ideal way to explore difficult subjects without moralizing.
But according to Variety, filming the adaptation turned out to be the worst experience of her life. She reportedly left the set gasping and sobbing, saying she never wanted to hear about the project again.
