Acclaimed author Tomi Adeyemi took to social media to reveal the talented cast of the upcoming film adaptation of her bestselling novel, Children of Blood and Bone. The movie, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is set to premiere in IMAX theaters in January 2027.
South African actress Thuso Mbedu, known for her role in Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic The Woman King, will play Zélie, a young woman on a quest to reclaim magic in a fantasy African kingdom. Zélie’s journey is intertwined with her older brother Tzain (Tosin Cole), Princess Amari (Amandla Stenberg), and Prince Inan (Damson Idris) as they form an unlikely alliance to overthrow the ruthless King Saran.
Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, published in 2018, has become a modern classic, spending 175 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list alongside its sequels, Children of Virtue and Vengeance and Children of Anguish and Anarchy. The Legacy of Orïsha trilogy has sold nearly three million copies worldwide, earning critical acclaim, including features on the New York Times Notable Children’s Books and Kirkus Prize Finalist lists.
Also forthcoming will be additional castings from an open casting call for actors living in Nigeria.
Children of Blood and Bone is set to premiere in IMAX theaters in January 2027.
Click here to read more on the upcoming film and meet the rest of the cast.
Bongiwe T. Maphosa
Bongiwe Maphosa is a writer whose fiction and poetry offers fresh, imaginative perspectives on the human condition. Her work has been published in prominent literary spaces, including Isele Magazine, Akowdee Magazine, the AVBOB Poetry Anthology, Journal of African Youth in Literature (JAY Lit), and more. She was also nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology. Bongiwe is one of six writers selected for the inaugural Caine Prize Online Editing program and serves as a content writer, peer reviewer, and tier three awards judge for JAYLit. Bridging inner reflection with speculative worlds, she continues to carve out a distinctive voice within contemporary African literature for a growing global audience.
