Tomi Adeyemi Says She’ll "Never" Turn Another Book Into a Movie After Her Painful CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE Experience

For Tomi Adeyemi, bringing her bestselling fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone to the big screen was supposed to be a huge moment. Instead, the author says the experience became so painful that she has no intention of ever adapting one of her books into a movie again.

Adeyemi opened up about the upcoming film in a new interview with The Guardian, months after she publicly described working on the adaptation as “the worst thing I have ever had to live through.” It was such a bad experience for her she says she doesn’t even plan on watching it.

The author first spoke publicly about her experience, when a TikTok video detailing what happened during production went viral. Adeyemi said the experience left her “hyperventilating and sobbing” on set and alleged that she was “still being antagonized behind the scenes.”

She also said that after filming wrapped and she returned home, she “suffered such severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks.”

When asked why she decided to speak publicly about what happened, Adeyemi explained: “I understood that if I didn’t speak up, I couldn’t 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.”

Adeyemi isn’t sharing the specific events that led to such a difficult experience, saying, “I won’t go into the specifics,” but she made it clear that the entire process took a serious toll on her, saying: “The whole journey of the trilogy and the adaptation felt biblical … It took all of me.”

The movie is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and comes with one hell of a cast, including Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Idris Elba, and Viola Davis.

Stenberg’s casting also sparked discussion among fans over colorism. The actor is mixed race, while Adeyemi describes the character she plays in the novel as having “dark copper skin.”

Things became more complicated this summer when Adeyemi posted a since-deleted TikTok that appeared to show a group chat involving Stenberg. Adeyemi wrote: “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me”

The post also appeared to show Adeyemi blocking Stenberg. When Adeyemi was asked if she wanted to clarify anything surrounding Stenberg’s casting, she pointed to where the creative authority lies when making a film.

“With a film, the director makes every decision. With my book I can talk about every choice down to the commas, because that’s truly in my hands. So there’s nothing for me to add, other than the clarity that these aren’t my choices.”

For Adeyemi, the experience appears to have permanently changed how she feels about handing her stories over to Hollywood. Whatever happened during the production, she has drawn a clear boundary when it comes to future adaptations.

As for actually sitting down to watch Children of Blood and Bone when it’s finished, that isn’t on her agenda either“I still don’t plan to watch it, but it’s not really for me to watch.”

Children of Blood and Bone hits theaters January 15.