Tomi Adeyemi doesn’t want to talk about the upcoming movie adaptation of her novel Children of Blood and Bone ever again.
Tomi Adeyemi has branded the upcoming movie adaptation of her novel Children of Blood and Bone “the worst thing [she] has ever had to live through”.
The author claimed she left the set of the Paramount film – for which she co-wrote the screenplay – “hyperventilating and sobbing” and is “still being antagonised behind the scenes” over the project, which she now “never wants to hear about” again.
In a lengthy video shared to social media this week, she said: “What I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved.
“It’s a reality that I’ve had to live with for about a year and a half, and everyone involved, at least at the highest level, has been made aware of this reality, and they haven’t done anything to make it better. If anything, they’ve only antagonized me, and I accept that. But I also accept if I don’t say something, I think it’s just going to be worse..
“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.
“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.”
Tomi has previously criticised the project but her latest remarks came after the trailer for Children of Blood and Bone was released this week and she felt the need to share the “reality”.
She added: “But as it is being marketed, and as I am still being antagonised behind the scenes, which is where I hoped all of this would stay, it’s become apparent to me that reality needs to at least be made known, so that you guys can understand how this film, which I worked on to make it a little better for us to be alive, is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through.
“I don’t wish to speak on it anymore. I don’t know if that’s possible.
“I understand that I have a public presence, and that this is a global project. It’s probably useless posting a video. I really don’t know. I don’t do things like this, but I also understand that being silent about it is making the pain a lot worse.
“And even though it feels awful to share this, it’s better to share it and have it known and understood before I see a bunch of you for this new book.
“So 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. So I’m just going to share that and let it live.”
Earlier this month, in a now-deleted TikTok video, the author posted what appeared to be a group chat that included Amandla Stenberg, who stars in the film.
She appeared to have blocked the actress after she wrote: “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.”
It is still unclear specifically what Tomi is unhappy with about the film.
Tomi Adeyemi left Children of Blood and Bone set ‘hyperventilating and sobbing’
