Tomi Adeyemi, 32, author of the bestselling 2018 novel “Children of Blood and Bone,” called the upcoming Paramount film adaptation “the worst thing I have ever had to live through” and said “I never want to hear about this project again” in a five-minute video posted Wednesday on social media.
Adeyemi said in an emotional TikTok Wednesday that she left the set of her fantasy novel’s movie adaptation “hyperventilating and sobbing” and is publicly cutting ties with the project ahead of its winter release.
The author cryptically did not share more about the on-set incident that led to her exit from the film she co-wrote with director Gina Prince-Bythewood, but accused producers of “antagonizing” her through the 18 months since.
In the video, Adeyemi detailed the emotional toll she suffered after leaving the set.
“I’m not going to speak on what I endured to make it through the young adult trilogy, and I’m not going to speak about everything that I also suffered through or endured to make the adaptation a reality. I’m actually only going to speak about what happened after I left that set of my own film adaptation, hyperventilating and sobbing. There are many witnesses, so it’s not really a secret,” she said.
Her emotional statements continued in the video, describing the physical and mental impact.
“I came back to America and suffered such severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks. I knew it was so bad that I would never ever be able to watch this film, and I made peace with that,” Adeyemi said.
The revelation came just one day after Paramount released the first official trailer for the film, marking an abrupt public split.
The video came just weeks after the author said she’s refusing to promote the project, has not seen it and “will not watch it” — and one day after the first trailer for the fantasy feature — which boasts a starry ensemble including Viola Davis, Regina King, Cynthia Erivo and Amandla Stenberg — debuted.
Adeyemi also appeared to reference an earlier private conflict with one cast member.
Variety notes that the author previously uploaded a now-deleted TikTok video earlier this month in which she showed screenshots from a group chat that seemed to show her telling star Amandla Stenberg “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me.”
The text exchange escalated further in the screenshots.
Adeyemi wrote “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me” in the texts.
The screenshot also appeared to show that Adeyemi blocked Stenberg.
Stenberg has faced her own backlash since her casting announcement last year.
Stenberg has faced backlash over her casting as Princess Amari in the film adaptation due to allegations of colorism, Variety reported.
In response to early controversy about her casting, the actress had previously addressed the colorism accusations in a since-deleted video.
“I am four months into training for ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ and I am getting my ass whooped,” Stenberg said in a TikTok video posted last year that has since been deleted, according to Variety. “I want everyone to know that this is important to me, and I think about it with every choice that I make.”
Stenberg had previously said “I would never navigate my career blindly, not thinking about my skin tone or the space I occupy.”
Adeyemi declined to publicly name the people behind the on-set issues she experienced.
Although she says she is “still being antagonized behind the scenes,” Adeyemi declined to name who on the film’s set she was having conflict with.
In her Wednesday video, she emphasized her desire to move on from the situation.
“Please understand, I never want to hear about this project again. I don’t have anything to say about the people who made it. I do not care anymore. I’m trying to move on. This video might make it worse, but I don’t know how it can be any worse,” she concluded in the video.
All parties involved have maintained public silence beyond Adeyemi’s statements.
And while Prince-Bythewood, Stenberg, and studio Paramount have all been silent on the matter so far, Adeyemi has made it clear that she’s made a pretty drastic break with the adaptation of her extremely successful YA novel.
In the viral moment that preceded Wednesday’s video, Adeyemi had already signaled her distancing from the project earlier this month when she posted the screenshots with Stenberg. At that time, she indicated she would not be promoting the film and had no intention of watching it. However, the Wednesday video marked her most comprehensive public statement about the severity of her experience on set, describing trauma that has left lasting physical and mental health impacts. The emotional weight of her words—combined with her refusal to speak further on the matter—underscored the depth of whatever conflict occurred behind the scenes.
Despite co-writing the screenplay and serving as executive producer on the adaptation of her beloved novel, Adeyemi has completely severed her public association with the project.
The film will arrive in theaters January 15, 2027 as one of the first highly anticipated releases of the new year.