Ever since we first learned that Gina Prince-Bythewood would be following up her bone-crunching 2022 historical action epic The Woman King with a bl
Ever since we first learned that Gina Prince-Bythewood would be following up her bone-crunching 2022 historical action epic The Woman King with a blockbuster take on Tomi Adeyemi’s brilliant, bestselling YA Afro-fantasy novel Children Of Blood And Bone, we’ve been chomping at the bit to see what the multi-talented filmmaker has been cooking. And that bit’s been getting chomped even more since the reveal of the movie’s all-star line-up — including *deep breath* Viola Davis, Regina King, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tosin Cole, Damson Idris, Bukky Bakray, Lashana Lynch, Amandla Stenberg, and juvenile lead Thuso Mbedu. Happily then, we now have our first proper look at Prince-Bythewood’s veritable constellation of stars in action as Paramount Pictures has released a slew of eye-catching modern photos from the fantasy movie. Check them out below;
And there you have it: our formal introduction to the mythical, magical African kingdom of Orïsha — whose stunning aesthetic and garb belies, as genre convention dictates, uglier truths and machinations at work within its fractured realm. Among the characters glimpsed here are ruthless rulers Queen Nehanda (King) and King Saran (Ejiofor); Saran’s imperious second-in-command Admiral Kaea (Erivo); magic-wielding sacred high priest — or sêntaro — Lekam (Elba); sage Seer Mama Agba (Davis); and the story’s troublemaking heroine, white-haired juvenile maji clan member Zélie (Mbedu), who finds herself on a quest to return to her Ikú Clan the magic that was once violently taken from them and lead a rebellion to end their mistreatment in the process. Also pictured here are Zélie’s brother Tzain (Cole) and royal sibling duo Amari (Stenberg) and Inan (Idris), all of whom ally to defy — and end — King Saran’s brutal rule.
An ambitious coming of age story, a caustic reckoning with slavery and oppression, and a rollicking fantasy adventure indelibly infused with West African mythology, Children Of Blood And Bone — together with its sequels, Children Of Virtue And Vengeance and Children Of Anguish And Anarchy — represents some of the best, most resonant storytelling the genre has produced in the 21st century. With Gina Prince-Bythewood at the helm of its cinematic adaptation and a phenomenal cast in tow, the movie’s 15 January, 2027 release cannot come soon enough.
