When Cynthia Erivo reached out to Children of Blood and Bone author Tomi Adeyemi while preparing for her role in the upcoming film adaptation, the question she led with was not what most people would expect from one of Hollywood’s most decorated performers. Rather than diving into backstory or motivation, Erivo wanted to know one very specific thing about her character, Admiral Kaea her zodiac sign.
Adeyemi shared the story during a panel at BookCon on April 18, and the detail landed with the kind of warmth and humor that tends to make an audience lean in. Erivo had been sending voice notes to the author as part of her preparation process, and in one of them she floated the idea that Admiral Kaea, the fierce second-in-command to the film’s villain King Saran, sounded like a Capricorn. Adeyemi found the approach endearing and said she was happy to play along with the creative instinct behind it.
How Adeyemi actually builds her characters
The exchange also opened a window into how Adeyemi herself approaches character development and it turns out her process is less astrologically driven than Erivo’s question might suggest. The author explained that she does not typically construct full astrological profiles for her characters, preferring instead to think about personality and feel as her primary tools for bringing people to life on the page.
For secondary characters in particular, Adeyemi described a more intuitive process one focused on understanding how a character feels to be around, how they register in the emotional landscape of a scene, and what kind of energy they bring into contact with the protagonist. Primary characters, she noted, tend to emerge from a more organic place altogether, shaped by the needs of the story rather than any structured framework.
A years-long journey from page to screen
Children of Blood and Bone was first published in 2018 and became an immediate sensation, landing on bestseller lists and drawing comparisons to some of the most celebrated works of fantasy fiction in recent memory. The announcement that it would be adapted for film came in January 2025, and since then the project has assembled one of the most impressive casts attached to any fantasy production in years.
The film will be directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood for Paramount Pictures. It stars Thuso Mbedu in the central role of Zelie, a young woman who rises up against the oppressive King Saran played by Chiwetel Ejiofor to restore magic to her mythical African kingdom of Orïsha. Joining them are Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris and Tosin Cole, alongside a celebrated ensemble that includes Viola Davis, Erivo, Idris Elba and Lashana Lynch, among others.
What the adaptation process demanded of Adeyemi
At BookCon, Adeyemi was candid about the emotional weight of watching her work move through the machinery of Hollywood adaptation. The process spanned years and required a particular kind of commitment one she described not as professional ambition but as something far more personal and essential.
For Adeyemi, creative work demands total engagement. Every element of a project, from the largest structural decisions to the smallest punctuation choices, requires her full attention and care. That standard, she acknowledged, is the only way she can feel a sense of completion rather than the restlessness that follows work left only partially touched.
Her advice for other authors navigating the adaptation process reflected that same ethos. The path through Hollywood is long and difficult enough that pursuing it requires genuine, soul-level conviction rather than ego or external pressure. For Adeyemi, the only reason she reached the end of the journey was because she felt called to be there a distinction she clearly believes makes all the difference.
Children of Blood and Bone is scheduled for release on Jan. 15, 2027.
Source: PEOPLE
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