{"id":781818,"date":"2026-07-05T13:01:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T13:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/781818\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T13:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T13:01:16","slug":"children-of-blood-and-bone-author-refuses-to-watch-movie-cuts-off-the-acolytes-amandla-stenberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/781818\/","title":{"rendered":"Children Of Blood And Bone Author Refuses To Watch Movie, Cuts Off The Acolyte&#8217;s Amandla Stenberg"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Controversy has followed Amandla Stenberg from a galaxy far, far away straight into the kingdom of Or\u00efsha.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Children of Blood and Bone author Tomi Adeyemi has publicly disowned Paramount\u2019s upcoming big-budget adaptation of her own novel \u2014 and cut off Stenberg entirely.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adeyemi, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Gina Prince-Bythewood, confirmed via DMs shared to her TikTok that she has no intention of ever seeing the finished film.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have not seen the film, and I will not watch it,\u201d Adeyemi wrote. She also said staying silent about the adaptation has been painful and apologized to fans who assumed she didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n<p>        &#13;<\/p>\n<p>RELATED<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n            <a class=\"cbn-ir-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/william-shatner-kirk-return-95-star-trek-60th-anniversary\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/william-shatner-star-trek-return-paramount-300x169.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"William Shatner Would Play Kirk Again At 95 \u2014 Right As Star Trek Returns To Its Roots\" loading=\"lazy\"   fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\n                                &#13;<br \/>\n                                        William Shatner Would Play Kirk Again At 95 \u2014 Right As Star Trek Returns To Its Roots&#13;<br \/>\n                                            William Shatner just gave the answer fans have waited 32 years to hear. In a new interview for TV Guide Magazine&#8217;s Star&#8230;&#13;<br \/>\n                                    &#13;<br \/>\n            <\/a>&#13;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/amandla-stenberg-the-acolyte-star-wars-1500x844.webp\" alt=\"Amandla Stenberg The Acolyte Star Wars\" class=\"wp-image-1006263\"   loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tomi Adeyemi Tells Amandla Stenberg: \u201cDo Not Ever Use My Name\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The author didn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adeyemi also posted a screenshot of a DM she sent directly to Stenberg, who plays Princess Amari in the film: \u201cDo not ever use my name in an interview or video again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Per Deadline, the message also told Stenberg not to text or call her. The DM was dated late February, right around the time Stenberg was publicly responding to accusations of taking roles from dark-skinned actresses, as fans pointed out Amari is described in the book as having dark copper skin.<\/p>\n<p>  <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@zzeynics\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@zzeynics?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@zzeynics<\/a> there was zero need to get physical\u2026.. and try and lock me in the building\u2026.. then chasing me out to my car\u2026..  *** update: tysm for all the support and love fr \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f BUT the business removed their google page. PLSSSS do not leave any bad reviews on random businesses!!! \ud83e\udee9**** <a title=\"saskatoon\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/saskatoon?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#saskatoon<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - zey\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7656151802668288776?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">\u266c original sound \u2013 zey<\/a>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What apparently set Adeyemi off was Stenberg recounting a personal story in an interview about meeting the author.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stenberg claimed Adeyemi told her that the racist backlash Stenberg received as Rue in The Hunger Games inspired her to write the series so Black girls of all shades could have a story written about them. Stenberg said the two cried together and that she took it as a sign from God that she belonged in the movie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Judging by Adeyemi\u2019s response, the author saw it very differently and used the moment to publicly torch the project she spent nearly a decade trying to get made.<\/p>\n<p>Amandla Stenberg Brings The Acolyte Baggage To Paramount<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If this all sounds familiar, it should.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stenberg starred in Disney\u2019s The Acolyte, the most expensive flop in Star Wars streaming history, which <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/the-aolyte-canceled-no-one-watched-disney-exec\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a Disney exec admitted was canceled because no one watched it<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than take the L, <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/amandla-stenberg-blames-fans-for-the-acolyte-cancellation\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Stenberg blamed the fans for the cancellation<\/a>, her <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/amandla-stenberg-stans-target-youtubers-acolyte-cancellation\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">stans went after YouTubers who covered the show\u2019s demise<\/a>, and Stenberg eventually <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/acolyte-amandla-stenberg-deletes-instagram-acolyte-fanbacklash\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">deleted her Instagram amid the fan backlash<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Star Wars was named <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/star-wars-biggest-loser-2024\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the biggest loser of 2024<\/a> in no small part thanks to that debacle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stenberg only <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/amandla-stenberg-children-of-blood-and-bone-footage-instagram-return\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">returned to Instagram earlier this year to promote the first Children of Blood and Bone footage<\/a>, and now the author of the source material is telling her to never speak her name again.<\/p>\n<p>        &#13;<\/p>\n<p>RELATED<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n            <a class=\"cbn-ir-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/tom-hardy-mobland-exit-rumors-reshoots\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/tom-hardy-mobland-exit-rumors-reshoots-300x169.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Tom Hardy MobLand Exit Rumors Double Down, Gets Messier As Reshoot Rumors Surface\" loading=\"lazy\"   fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\n                                &#13;<br \/>\n                                        Tom Hardy MobLand Exit Rumors Double Down, Gets Messier As Reshoot Rumors Surface&#13;<br \/>\n                                            Tom Hardy\u2019s MobLand future is getting even messier, as Puck News is standing by its report that the actor is still fired&#8230;&#13;<br \/>\n                                    &#13;<br \/>\n            <\/a>&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can\u2019t make this stuff up.<\/p>\n<p>Lucasfilm Lost It. Paramount Won It. Now The Author Wants Nothing To Do With It<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s an extra layer of irony here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Children of Blood and Bone was originally set up at Lucasfilm under Kathleen Kennedy following the Disney-Fox merger, before the studio let the rights lapse in 2021. Adeyemi reportedly grew frustrated with the pace and was denied the chance to write the script.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paramount won the ensuing bidding war and gave her exactly what Lucasfilm wouldn\u2019t: a screenwriting credit and an executive producer title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now she\u2019s refusing to watch the result.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1004\" height=\"497\" src=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/children-blood-bone-books.avif\" alt=\"Children Blood Bone Books\" class=\"wp-image-1006264\"   fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Paramount\u2019s Fantasy Franchise Launch Has An Author Problem<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timing could not be worse for Paramount.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Children of Blood and Bone opens January 15, 2027 over the four-day MLK holiday weekend in IMAX, a major fantasy franchise bet greenlit by the previous Paramount regime that now lands squarely in David Ellison\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The movie was acquired, cast, and completely filmed before the Skydance merger closed last August, meaning Ellison inherited it in post-production.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether the remaining two books in Adeyemi\u2019s Legacy of Or\u00efsha trilogy ever get adapted is now his call.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cast is stacked: Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Tosin Cole, Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lashana Lynch, and Regina King join Stenberg. Prince-Bythewood is also coming off The Woman King.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But franchises are built on goodwill, and it\u2019s hard to sell a trilogy when the creator of the source material is publicly boycotting the first movie six months before it opens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The author\u2019s fanbase is the built-in audience Paramount is counting on, and Adeyemi just told them, in effect, that the movie isn\u2019t worth her time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Box office will be the final arbiter, as always. But between the colorism casting backlash, the Stenberg baggage, and now the author going scorched earth, this is exactly the kind of inherited liability that gets quietly wound down after one film if the opening weekend disappoints.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ellison is already resetting the studio around proven franchises, and a YA fantasy trilogy walking into January with a target on its back doesn\u2019t fit that playbook.<\/p>\n<p>Matt McGloin is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Cosmic Book News, the independent entertainment news site he founded in 2008. He covers movies, comics, TV, video games and pop culture and has reported major industry scoops over the years, including revealing the Avengers: Endgame title ahead of its official announcement. Through Cosmic Book News, he helped Marvel Comics promote Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova through exclusive previews, artwork, and interviews, with the site also quoted in solicitations and on comic covers. He also reported on Marvel\u2019s Daredevil: Born Again retooling before it was later confirmed by the trades.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Controversy has followed Amandla Stenberg from a galaxy far, far away straight into the kingdom of Or\u00efsha. Children&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":781819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[276713,49,48,276714,75,337,9489,276715],"class_list":["post-781818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-amandla-stenberg","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-children-of-blood-bone","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-paramount","tag-tomi-adeyemi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/781819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}