‘Children of Blood and Bone’ Author Reportedly Cuts off Contact With Amandla Stenberg Over Colorism Controversy

Adapting a beloved young adult fantasy novel for the screen always comes with high expectations, but few book-to-film productions have generated as much sustained tension behind the scenes as Paramount’s ‘Children of Blood and Bone.’ Based on Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling 2018 novel, the film has been shadowed by controversy since its casting was first announced, and that controversy has apparently taken a serious personal toll behind the scenes.

The trouble began almost immediately after casting details surfaced, with significant backlash centering on Amandla Stenberg’s role as Princess Amari. In the novel, Amari is specifically described as having dark copper skin, a detail central to the story’s exploration of colorism within her own family.

Critics argued that casting the lighter-skinned Stenberg in that particular role, especially opposite darker-skinned actors playing characters unaffected by that same discrimination, undercut the book’s core themes.

Stenberg addressed the backlash directly in a TikTok video, explaining that she’d spent months training for the role and that she thinks carefully about her skin tone and the space she occupies with every career choice she makes. She went further, stating she wants to see all skin tones represented in media and acknowledging that colorism remains an insidious system impacting entertainment.

According to reports, Stenberg also cited Adeyemi’s own support in that video, noting that the author had told her that her performance as Rue in ‘The Hunger Games’ partially inspired the book series, and that Adeyemi wanted to see a world on screen that felt vibrant across different skin tones and shades.

That public reference to Adeyemi’s support reportedly marked the beginning of a serious falling-out between the two. According to a new Vanity Fair report, Adeyemi later texted Stenberg directly, writing, “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me,” and appeared to block the actress afterward, according to the Los Angeles Times.

According to Vanity Fair’s reporting, the fallout didn’t end there. Tension between Adeyemi and Stenberg reportedly continued on set when the author arrived days later to film a small cameo appearance in the movie, suggesting the rift extended well beyond a single message exchange.

Adeyemi has since publicly distanced herself from the film’s promotion entirely, addressing fans directly in a video explaining she didn’t wish to speak further on what happened, while acknowledging that staying silent about the situation was making things worse for her personally. She confirmed she still hasn’t watched the completed film, despite reportedly being given the opportunity to see it last spring, and stated plainly that she never wants to hear about the project again.

Insiders have described the loss of Adeyemi’s public support as a significant blow to the film’s box office prospects, given her large, devoted fan base known as the Tominators. One Hollywood insider told reporters it’s especially unfortunate given that Adeyemi holds a level of platform influence that few authors ever achieve.

Adding another layer of complexity to the situation, insiders have claimed that Adeyemi was actually involved in the film’s casting process and was initially both excited about and supportive of Stenberg’s casting as Amari, a detail that complicates the narrative around exactly what triggered the eventual falling-out. Adeyemi co-wrote the film’s screenplay alongside director Gina Prince-Bythewood and serves as an executive producer on the project.

With ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ set to hit theaters January 15, 2027, starring Thuso Mbedu, Stenberg, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Regina King, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Viola Davis, the lingering tension between its author and one of its stars adds an unusual layer of uncertainty heading into release.